Dust
by Rothelena
Summary: AU-Jane is a fairy tribe's king with an undying thirst for revenge, Lisbon an underestimated pixie with high aspirations- very, very AU. M for LANGUAGE and ADULT SITUATIONS, many original characters, but hopefully no Mary-Sue.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay- I'm taking a huge leap now, and I have no idea if anybody wants to read this, but since it is such a massive piece of work, I don't want to write it if I have no readers who want to take the journey with me._

_This one will be M eventually, but only in later chapters- and there will be many, many, many chapters._

_And, most important: it is a fairy tale taking place in a fairy world, and that means- it is AU! Very AU in fact. I know, I've never written something like that, but I wanted to try it for some time, and now I started it, so…I'll see how you receive this and if you want me to go on._

_And, in case anybody is afraid: I continue to write Jisbon-smut next to this, I promise- and I'm sure that Bruno Heller will send ample inspiration my way when September ends…so, don't worry._

_Disclaimer: don't own the characters, just borrowed them for a little R&R._

Chapter 1

Teresa took some moments to concentrate on her breath. The air was cleansing and pure up here- that was why this spot had quickly become her favorite.

She had come here as a child when her classmates had laughed at her. For loving dusty books more than digging in the dirt. For spending all her spare time in the company of figures and dead languages. For not having a green thumb at all.

She'd always known she was strange. Her father had made sure to tell her when the contemptuous looks of her peers had failed to do so.

Pixies were supposed to be down-to-earth. Well-grounded. Harmless nature-lovers, not dreamers. But Teresa always had her head in the clouds. Learned languages nobody needed, developed and cracked codes her people didn't use. But what sense did it make to know those things, if no stranger ever entered pixie territory?

The pixies were reclusive, and that was a good thing- so her stubborn father had always taught her. They had no need for other races. Not for those airy, chichi fairies, not for the dumb giants or the giggling dwarfs. The pixies were a world unto themselves, and they were proud that the other species knew nothing about their community- their secrets were safe, why should anybody want to change that?

Teresa sighed- yes, she wanted more. Wanted to travel the world. Wanted to speak all the words she had learned. Wanted to see the dark caves of the dwarfs, the glittering cities of the fairies. But her father would never allow her to leave. He hated everything that was different- possibly including her. Her reading. Her affinity for codes and formulas. The fact that she, a grown woman, wasn't married with children by now.

Her eyes wandered far away over the tops of the trees. You couldn't even guess the boarders of fairy territory from here, they were so far away. But Teresa longed to be there. Every waking hour.

At least she felt safe here on her favorite tree, an ancient Paruba. Its branches were strong enough to carry an elephant, so they were certainly capable of holding teeny weeny Teresa Lisbon. She was like all pixies were- petite, her hair long and dark, a single dark green strand weaving through the silky tresses, eyes huge and colored like the most sparkling of emeralds. Tiny all over. Nobody was scared of a pixie, that was for sure.

But she was fast. Fast even for a pixie, who were able runners in general- but Teresa ran like lightning, eating miles with every single stride of her slender legs, covering huge distances in no time at all, the forest blurring all around her while she raced through the endless fog of green. She jumped with graceful ease, always landing on her two feet, and climbed like a monkey. No tree was too high for her, no mountain too steep. Not even her beloved Paruba, its crown residing majestically on top of the world.

Her eyes peeked into the distance again, and a desperate sigh was torn from her throat.

She took her book out of her little bag and started to read. Words were her friends- maybe the only ones she had.

Teresa read until even her sharp pixie-eyes couldn't find their way on the pages anymore. Then she packed up and started to climb down, taking her time with every movement, not being in a hurry to get home. Home was like a prison these days.

She might not be a perfect specimen of her race, but she still was pixie: she found her way through the dark forest without stumbling once, but her stride was slow, almost strolling. She wasn't eager to reach her destination.

She had thought about running away. But courage was so hard to find for a girl that had never seen a being unlike her. What if all those creatures out there were as dangerous and crazy as her father had told her? But all the books she read told a different story. Tales of beauty, bravery and adventure. And she believed them.

If she stayed, she would suffocate. Slowly and painfully.

When her home came into view, she shuddered involuntarily. Grateful that the windows were dark. But there was a faint glow from the front door, which was ajar. A delicate figure in a long skirt stood there. Teresa relaxed.

Elisabeth Lisbon watched her daughter approaching. What a beauty she was, her sweet little girl. Eyes bigger than those of any pixie she knew, hair so shiny, lips so full. She was a curious little thing, her Teresa. And so bright it made the whole community scared of her.

Her heart ached for her. Life was so hard for her, and she had no idea how to help her baby. But one thing was clear to Elisabeth Lisbon beyond the shadow of a doubt: her beloved Teresa would have to go eventually. She couldn't grow here. Couldn't breathe in the tight confines of pixie society. Her girl had to spread her non-existent wings.

"Aren't you hungry?", she asked softly, pouring her love into her smile.

Teresa smiled back. And nodded slightly.

She looked at her mother, so calm and content, her face still young and unwrinkled. Pixies stopped aging when they reached their 25th birthday, immortal beings unless someone knew the trick how to kill them. Which no one did- outsiders did know nothing about pixie anatomy.

"Come in", Elisabeth whispered, wrapping her arm around her daughter's shoulder, "I'll prepare you something to warm your stomach."

The door closed, excluding the inky night.

Somewhere, a lonely wolf was howling, but that was all the sound that disturbed the numbing quiet.

xxMentalistxx

Grief covered him like a coat. Why couldn't he escape the suffering? Why weren't his lungs allowed to unfold? He gasped with pain.

Patrick Jane, king of the fairy-tribe Faebar, was cursed to suffer. It had to be that way.

The sun shone down on his head while he followed his friend's coffin, but in his heart it was raining forever.

Milaro, late chief advisor of the king, his dear friend, a quirky, happy dwarf that had never failed to bring light into his gloomiest hours, had left him. Jane sobbed quietly. He'd lost another loved one to his nemesis, Red John, the killing phantom that held his life in a deathly grip since eight years.

When Red John had killed his wife, Angela, and his precious young daughter, Charlotte. He'd killed them with seven stabs to the heart- the only way to kill a fairy- after cutting them innumerable times. Painting the queen's toenails with her own blood. Drawing a bloody, smiling face on the wall- like he did with all his victims.

Jane's heart had almost stopped beating that day, and the whole fairy kingdom had feared for his life. The king was the people's lifeline. And he had barely made it.

Not that he'd felt very much alive ever since.

His life was pure misery, and he only breathed for his precious fairies. Who had stood loyally by his side. They would not leave him, and he owed them everything.

His days had become slightly brighter over the years, a routine had been established, and he loved his people so much that they rarely failed to make him smile at least once a day.

Milaro had fought like a lion to give his king back the will to live, humbly tolerating his mood swings, supporting him without asking questions, coping with the fact that revenge was the sole reason for Jane to go on. Secretly infusing happiness into the sovereign's days.

And now, Milaro was no more.

Jane put his hand on the coffin, heated from the sun, and bid a silent farewell to his friend. Renewing his vow: Red John would die. He would make sure of it, wouldn't rest until his mission had been accomplished.

His tears felt like acid on Jane's skin, and he licked them from his lips when Kimball Cho, cardinal advisor of the fairy council, placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Mylord", he said softly, voice full of his usual utter calm," you know I'm sorry for your loss- we all lost when Milaro died. But you know that you have to name his successor. As soon as possible."

"Successor?", Jane snorted, his voice hoarse from crying, "There is no possible successor. Nobody can do for me what he could. His chair will stay empty."

"I understand your feelings, your highness", Cho said, "but you know this is not possible. Without the chief advisor, the kingdom will be exposed. We're ten cardinal advisors- we need one to keep us in line, one who is close to you as the main bastion of power. A position like this has to go to someone handpicked- someone all of us can trust. Someone with an extraordinary intellect. We have to start searching, my king. Immediately."

Jane fought a battle with himself. Cho was right, he knew it. He couldn't behave like a hurt child, couldn't let this numbing grief overrule his responsibilities as his formidable people's king. He'd stopped to be anything else since his family was gone, he was nothing else but king. If he stopped to be that, he would cease to exist.

So he nodded, his head heavy and tired from all the suffering, all the pain, guilt and shame.

"So be it, then", he croaked, "go and advertise the post all over the country. To all races. I want the best advisor that's out there. Find him for me."

_Okay- please tell me if I should continue. I have an outline for this, and know where it is going, but it will take a while for me to reach the conclusion, so you would have to stick with this story for a while. Please tell me what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay- I just go on trying to convince you of this story, thank you so much for granting me feedback. _

Chapter 2

Elisabeth looked out of the living room's window into the dark night.

The lone giant who collected the pixie's mail and carried it to its destination all over the country was late today- she wasn't surprised, had sometimes wondered why he bothered to come at all. No pixie send something to anybody- the whole concept of giving information to an outsider was alien to her people. But the giant came, every month. And she was waiting for him tonight.

For she needed the package gone before she changed her mind about sending it in the first place.

She eyed the box warily. Looking so innocent, a vessel of brown paper. But loaded like a bomb, ready to change her beloved daughter's life forever. Would Teresa forgive her if she learned what her mother had done?

Elisabeth sighed and sat down at the fireside, lifting her needlework to continue with her stitches. Her tiny fingers made quick work of the coarse fabric, she knew how to do this, had done it all her life, in fact. A nice, obedient little housewife. But deep inside her, she knew a spark of Teresa's curiosity, her hunger to see new things, smell new fragrances, taste nuances no pixie had ever tried before. Her girl would see what she couldn't, she would make sure of it.

She looked at the brown box. No doubts. She had to do this.

And then she heard it. The faint ringing of a tiny bell. It hung across a horse's neck. The horse of the giant who came to collect the mail.

xxMentalistxx

Cho frowned, reading the letter again and again. His back hurt slightly, he'd been sitting in this very chair for hours now, reading the papers he'd taken from the innocent brown box he'd received earlier that day. The first mail he'd ever received from a pixie- in all of the 568 years of his life.

He'd read every word of the documents, more than three times. That was, every word he had been capable of understanding...there were languages even he, the most advanced of the cardinal advisors, had never heard, and codes he couldn't begin to understand, but they were all here, cracked with ease by the hand of a master. Even Shibar, the most complicated code the Shadows, arch-enemies of all the fairies, had ever developed. Faebar's leading intellectuals had failed to decode it. But this strange pixie had.

Cho sat back, dumbfounded. He'd learned that the pixies were simple, stupid even. That most of them couldn't read, that they had no aspirations, were content to tend to their forests and gardens, not sharing their stories and history with anyone.

But this pixie had applied for the highest position the fairy world had to offer- the place closest to the king, Faebar's absolute ruler.

He took the letter again- T. Lisbon, it was signed. Tiny handwriting, unimpressive, neat. But this guy was possibly the most brilliant mind Kimball Cho had ever encountered. He couldn't help it- he needed him on his team, right here on the council.

A pixie. The king would be enthused. Cho snorted- he would most likely kill him.

Pixies were the unknown race, the people nobody had a hint about. They could be dangerous. Hell, he didn't even know how they looked. If they were able to speak fairy tongue.

But yes- this pixie was able to speak their language, he was able to write all the dialects he could imagine.

He was a genius. And he was needed here.

xxMentalistxx

"Rigsby", Cho cried out to the giant keeping watch in front of the throne room, "I need to talk to the king- now."

Rigsby squatted down.

"The master is resting", he said quietly, "he's not to be disturbed."

Cho sighed in exasperation. Giants were known to be fiercely faithful once they'd sworn their loyalty to a master. Rigsby, who was Jane's personal bodyguard, would die for the king without flinching. And he would kill Cho on the spot if he dared to misstep.

"It's important, Rigsby", he said softly, "the king would want me to wake him up if he knew my request. And I will be gentle in rousing him- I promise."

Rigsby growled, but got up reluctantly and bowed down to open the door to the king's quarters. Cho entered the throne room, nodding his thanks to the giant.

The king wasn't sleeping. He sat on his throne, in quiet conversation with Gandoli, his closest friend, messenger and personal servant. The young dwarf looked thoughtful, which was very unlike him. Dwarfs were happy, cheerful fellows in general, and Gandoli was no exception. He had lively black eyes and despite his young age already an impressive brown beard- male dwarfs had rampantly growing facial hair and all gave up on shaving eventually.

Jane looked up when Cho approached his throne.

"Cho, my friend", he said slowly, "Do you bring good news? We could use them."

His words made clear immediately that Gandoli wouldn't leave, so Cho didn't request to speak to the king alone.

"Well, your highness", he started, "I don't know how good my news are, in fact. I…spent the past months reading every application for the important post we advertised. I studied awesome works, learned about brilliant people, outstanding intellectuals. But no one impressed me as much as this one."

He handed 's letter to the king.

"A pixie?", Jane chuckled, "You're kidding me, aren't you, my friend?"

"I wouldn't dare, my lord.", Cho said, bowing his head.

"Have you ever seen a pixie, Cho?", the king asked softly, "Do you know their size? The color of their skin? How they procreate? This could have four heads for all we know. He could spew fire and destroy my castle with a gush of his breath. We know nothing about this race, my friend."

"Mr. Lisbon cracked Shibar, my lord.", Cho stated calmly.

The king looked up, surprised now.

"He cracked the Shadow's most advanced code, one our experts never deciphered", Jane smiled, "in the documents he sent with his letter of application- without asking for payment in advance? Then he's as stupid as the pixies are said to be."

"Maybe he just wanted to show his courtesy", Cho said, "as some kind of gift to us. The decoding sequence will be helpful, your highness- nobody knows this better than you."

Jane stared at his friend. Yes, he knew- his vengeance depended on information. He would never find Red John without access to confidential data. Data that would most likely be encoded. The Shadows were shady, cold-hearted, afraid of light and water, breeding more killers among their population than any other race. And their government protected these killers, refusing to extradite them to the victim's peoples. If Red John was a Shadow, Jane had to gain access to their classified documents- which hadn't been possible without decoding Shibar.

Cho came closer.

"Your highness", Cho said softly, placing his hand on the king's shoulder, "the pixie applied for this post. He wants to come here. And honestly- we can't forgo his remarkable abilities."

Jane looked into Cho's eyes.

"A test.", he whispered.

"Pardon, my lord?", Cho inquired, frowning.

"Let's put this formidable pixie to a test", Jane smiled, "if he passes- he can try his hand at being my chief advisor."

"Which test?"

"We send him a message", the king mused, "telling him the date and time of his audience with me in this very room. If he can read it and shows up- he's in for probation."

"Why shouldn't he be able to read it?"

"We write the message- in Brova.", Jane chuckled when he saw Cho's face.

"That's not fair, my lord", the cardinal advisor gasped, "Brova is the most advanced code ever written. Only the fairy council has the decoding sequence- and we can read it only because we generated the code ourselves. Countless brilliant hackers have tried their hands- all failed. There's no way the pixie will be able to crack it."

"Then maybe, he's not up to the challenge after all?", the king sat down on his throne, smirking, "my decision is definite. I'll seal the message myself. If the pixie doesn't show up before my throne at the appointed date- he's out."

Cho gritted his teeth. Damn, his king could be so stubborn sometimes. But there was nothing he could do to change his mind- he'd learned that over the years.

"As you wish, my lord", he said, bowing deep, before he turned and left.

_You're most possibly still not enthused about this- but I'll just continue for a while, okay? Please tell me what you think, maybe you'll get hooked later. If not- I'll write it off as an experiment, and that's okay, too._


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you so much, my brave followers, for giving this a try. To sell this to you just a little bit more, I'll publish chapters 3 + 4 right now…maybe I can convince you when I show a little bit more. Please, stick with me!_

Dust

Chapter 3

Boom-boom-boom.

The shots exploded through the silent forest, and the birds scattered from the trees.

Teresa lowered her arm and approached the target. Three shots. Three hits. At least she knew how to do that. Not that the male pixies were inclined to take her hunting with them. But it felt good to have one practical talent at least.

He collected the shell casings and was about to shoot some more, when a sound reached her sensitive ears.

All pixies had acute senses- eagle-like sight. Bat-like hearing. So Teresa picked up even tiny noises from a great distance.

Someone was approaching. Too big for one of the forest's animals. So most likely a pixie. Whom was she kidding- there were no other creatures present for about a thousand miles. So- definitely a fellow pixie.

She turned and waited for her visitor to show up. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw her mother, slightly out of breath (she was not used to running anymore), hair disheveled.

Teresa smiled.

"Mother!", she cried out, "What are you doing here?"

Hesitation gripped Elisabeth's small frame, and Teresa felt herself frowning. What was the matter with her calm, solemn mother? Who never spoke up and lived her life in paths set by her husband?

"I…", Elisabeth finally said, "I was…looking for you."

"I thought as much", Teresa shrugged, "so?"

Elisabeth wrung her hands.

"Do you…", she started, "…do you remember that you asked me where all your writings were some months ago? I…I told you your father had burned them."

Teresa turned, anger flaring up like a flame.

"How could I forget?", she growled.

She had been devastated. But she knew it was useless to confront her father- he was as stubborn as a mule. And so convinced he was right in this matter.

"Teresa..", Elisabeth murmured, "I lied."

Teresa turned, facing her.

"What?"

"I was a coward, baby. I couldn't tell you what had really happened, so I blamed your father. I knew you wouldn't try to talk to him- I'm sorry."

"Why do you tell me now, mother?", Teresa asked, her voice deadly calm, "And what the hell happened to all the stuff I was working on for the brunt of my life?"

Elisabeth faced her. Damn, this had to be done. So she better be brave about it.

"I have to tell you now", she whispered, "I send your works to the fairy king. As an application- for the post of his chief advisor."

For several minutes, it was so silent that the tiny feet of small mammals could be heard everywhere. Teresa felt as if she had forgotten how to breathe all of a sudden and now had to concentrate on every single movement her heaving chest made to stay alive.

Smart Teresa. Not able to comprehend her mother's words.

"You did WHAT?", she asked, the words getting louder gradually.

"Teresa, I know you are unhappy! I know you can't live like this forever! What did you plan? To meet a pixie man, get married, carry his babies and clean his house? When books are everything you're really interested in? I love you. And you have to be anywhere your talent is needed!"

"That was not your choice to make!", Teresa screamed.

Her heart was torn in a horrible turmoil, excitement and fear chasing each other, heartbeat irregular, and she was still hardly able to breathe, dammit. A fairy king had possibly read what she had written! It was impossible to understand. She felt like passing out for a moment.

"It was my choice to make, my brave little girl.", Elisabeth sighed, "I'm your mother."

"Why tell me today?", Teresa scowled, "Sudden wish to make a clean sweep?"

Elisabeth shook her head and produced a letter from under her apron. The royal seal of the Faebar was unmistakable- square in the middle. Teresa knew it from the countless books she had read. Books her father only kept because he thought it to be important to know the enemy.

Teresa felt the blood rushing through her brain like a flash-flood, drowning everything. Something screamed at her to take flight. Close her eyes and don't look into the coal-black eyes of destiny. Damn, how pathetic.

She took the envelope, her fingers trembling. Obviously, shooting practice was over for today.

"This never was your place, my dear", her mother said through a haze of tears, "it pains me to let you go. But it pains me more to see you suffer."

Elizabeth nodded, turned and went away through the darkening forest.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa spent the bigger part of the night just running through the woods, the letter burning a hole into her pocket.

She couldn't touch it. She felt giddy, nervous, cold.

She ran as fast as she could, for hours, until the forest ended and she could look out over the vast expanse of pixie territory. Somewhere beyond the horizon lay the sparkling cities of the Faebar tribe. And yes- how much she longed to see them. She took a small torch from her bag and rammed it into the ground. It only took her some minutes to light it- all pixies were masters at starting fires.

The soft glow painted shadows on the trees at her back. In front of her, there was only plain land. Like an ocean of possibilities.

Teresa took the letter from her pocket. Slightly wrinkled now. The paper thick and smooth. She looked at the seal, golden. The Faebar's emblem visible in its middle.

She lifted her hand. And broke the waxy seal.

Nothing happened. No fanfares. The ground wasn't shaking. The early morning birds didn't stop singing, though Teresa Lisbon was about to lose everything she knew about life to make a journey into an unavowed abyss.

No wonder her hands were shaking when she finally opened the letter.

The message was written in some kind of code. Advanced, unlike anything she'd ever seen. The hacker inside her was already intrigued.

She took pen and pencil from her bag and started working. She thought and wrote and mused endlessly, laboring well into the day, struggling through the heat of the noon and the quiet of the evening. And finally, when darkness wafted up again and Teresa had to light another torch, the words were falling into place like the pieces of a puzzle. She took her time to complete the decoding sequence, memorizing it thoroughly. Then she studied the letter and started to read.

The message said: "Come to the court of the Faebar on Araula 12th at the hour of the yearning to enter a period of testing for your worthiness to serve the Faebar's beloved king as chief advisor of the council."

Teresa felt herself tumbling, her empty stomach lurching, her fingertips going cold.

On the twelfth of Araula she, Teresa Lisbon, oddest of all the pixies, would finally see a fairy city.

_Okay…next chapter is already up. If you read this, please give me feedback!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay- you still there? Please, read on- it's just reading! Thank you so much for your feedback. I still hope I can convince you._

Dust

Chapter 4

Teresa looked down, cradling the metallic instrument in her hand. So black, smooth, shining. Deadly. But no matter how much she wanted to- she couldn't take her father's weapon. She had no right to steal from him, no matter how much he'd failed to understand her.

She sighed and put the gun back into the drawer where her father hid it, locking it carefully. She was fast. She was strong for her size. She didn't need to be armed to survive the journey.

She looked longingly at the drawer before she turned briskly on her heel and left the room. Sneaking into her father's chamber, she put the key back into Angus Lisbon's pants pocket. She looked at his sleeping face for a moment, tears forming in her eyes- she had ridden on his knees as a small child. He had protected her when the going got tough. She would miss the grumpy old goat.

Pressing a tiny kiss on his forehead, she said a silent goodbye and left the room without making a noise.

Only a few hours left for sleeping. She had to hit the road before dawn.

xxMentalistxx

Her mother was the only soul that kissed her goodbye. Teresa took a last glance at her village, hidden in the depths of the forest. This had been her world for all of her life. From now on, she was on her own.

Wiping the tears from her mother's face, managing a shaky smile, she mustered all her courage and turned away from her memories, waving to her mother, taking the road from the woods in a vigorous stride, clutching her small bag. She didn't need much. She would eat whatever she found on the way, would drink from the countless, clear springs. She had a notebook and a pen and some other personal items. More than enough.

When she had left the forest, she started to run. Run in huge strides, her feet hardly touching the dewy ground. The sun rose on the horizon, and the world blurred into a golden-hued mist while Teresa Lisbon ran for her life.

xxMentalistxx

Angus Lisbon looked out of his window for a long time after his daughter was gone. His face was wet, and for once he allowed himself the shameful weakness.

He wasn't worried, though- he knew she would make it, had always known. But hell- he would miss her every single day.

Closing his eyes, rubbing a hand over his still unwrinkled, youthful face, he spoke a prayer, wishing for his Teresa's well-being.

Find your luck, my child, he thought and blew her a kiss. He hoped it would reach her somehow, wherever she might be.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa allowed herself a tiny break at the hour of the glitter- high noon. She hadn't encountered a single creature until now, and she would still walk some miles before she would meet the first stranger out here.

She climbed the next tree and stretched out on its highest branch, overlooking the vast expanse of green all around her. Beautiful land, but lonely as hell. Godforsaken. She wasn't hungry yet, so she just closed her eyes and allowed herself some daydreaming for a while.

What would Faringol, the Faebar's capital, look like? She'd seen pictures, read stories, but never had she expected to see it. Damn, she couldn't wait. She grabbed her bag and searched for the book on fairy culture she had brought with her, when her hand came upon a solid, cool object she didn't recognize immediately.

She pulled it out. Deadly black metal, polished to perfection. And wrapped around the gun was the golden chain with the pendant her father had worn around his neck since his childhood.

xxMentalistxx

She wore the weapon in her pocket, it's solid weight calming her, and the chain around her neck, like her father had done.

She ran as far as she could, than jumped from tree to tree for a while when she reached another stretch of forest.

There, she encountered a troll settlement.

Trolls lived well outside the big cities, though most of them worked as soldiers in the fairies' armies. They were vicious fighters and had a legendary temperament, which made them almost incapable of living in fairy towns.

Teresa took a deep breath and marched on to find someone she could ask for directions. Fortunately, most trolls spoke the fairy tongues- and so did she.

She met an assembly of two male and three female trolls three minutes after she started to look out for signs of life. She recognized them immediately: Trolls (men and women) were strong and muscular, about as tall as the fairies, red-haired- and almost permanently randy. She felt their scrutinizing looks on her as she waved a cheery hello. Especially the males were eyeing her curiously.

"Hey, hey", one of them growled, "What do we have here? Wait, doesn't matter to me…you're a little beauty. As long as you can spread your legs I don't care what you are."

Okay, Teresa thought, remembering everything she'd ever learned about trolls, let's see if you can get as good as you give.

"Forget it, you horny imbecile", she scowled, "I don't have time to screw around. So if that's not too much to ask of such a miserable excuse for a sentient being , you could direct me to Faringol. Dullard."

The troll chuckled heartily.

"You're a feisty chick", he said, smiling lewdly, "too bad you're not interested in a hot little fuck on the way. I could give you a good time. But, no problem: Faringol is right down that road. Will take you a while to get there, though. Quite a walk."

"Don't worry about me, numbskull", she growled, "I have strong legs."

"Yes", the troll sighed dreamily, "I can see that."

Teresa glared at him and marched down the road he had showed her without another word- she didn't allow herself to exhale until she was safely out of sight. That had gone surprisingly well. She filed away the information that coarse language obviously wasn't a bad idea when it came to trolls. Fine with her.

She started to run again, swerving the trees with flawless ease, until they got more and more sparse and she knew she'd reached the edge of the forest. And when she stopped to have a look at her surroundings, she saw it in the distance: glittering towers, transparent like glass, catching the sunlight in a multitude of colors. Her heartbeat accelerated considerably. Faringol. She sat down for a moment to compose herself, anxiety sending shivers up and down her spine. Somehow, she felt like an impostor. No one she'd met had even had a hunch about what she was. She was as alien as they came. A pixie in a fairy's world. Almost ridiculous. But pride made her move on. She was up to anything. She wouldn't budge because off some stupid insecurities. She was as good as any of those species.

So she got up briskly and started moving again.

She came upon some giants next. A tiny pang of fear pierced her heart- damn, they were huge. Teresa barely reached up to their kneecaps. She swallowed drily, humming a little to encourage herself. They were harmless, she knew. And they were a clear indicator that Faringol was near. Most giants lived close to the fairy cities, for they were afraid of the darkness. And wherever there were fairies, light wasn't far.

They greeted her politely, and she waved back. They even smiled. She decided never to be afraid of giants again.

The day was bright and sunny and her life was about to change forever. And that couldn't possibly be bad, could it?

_Feedback- please! It would mean so much to me! Next chapter up TOMORROW! Then, Teresa will finally enter Jane's city!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I feel encouraged now, and writing this is so much fun that I'll definitely continue this story. _

_As to plot-questions: there will be an angsty twist to this, but the story will have a good ending._

Dust

Chapter 5

It was early afternoon on the 12th of Araula when Teresa Lisbon entered the sparkling city of Faringol. It was a breathtaking sight. The whole town was buzzing with activity at this time of day, strange creatures everywhere.

Teresa saw dwarfs, giants, trolls and countless fairies. The women were soft and delicate, almost fragile, wearing short, flimsy dresses in pale, flowery colors. She couldn't help but compare herself to them: much smaller, dressed in green blouse and pants made from rough fabric, her stride boyish and brisk against their elegant, floating movements. She sighed. Maybe she could cut her long tresses and just pretend to be a boy. But- no way. She was fine the way she was- even if nobody here was like her.

Everywhere she saw puffs of multicolored sparks- she knew what they were, had read about the phenomenon in books: fairies could will their wings to appear or disappear with their formidable minds. When willed to vanish, the wings evaporated into those sparkling clouds. It was so fascinating, Teresa couldn't look away.

Everything was huge- every public building, every street had been designed to accommodate giants as well, for they were vital parts of fairy society. Tiny Teresa was craning her neck to take everything in.

Suddenly, her hyper-sensitive ears picked up on a strange noise- someone screaming. She didn't allow herself the luxury of elaborate thinking and climbed up the next stall she could find, ignoring the outraged cries of its owner. Carefully crawling up the next available building she managed to reach a height that gave her a good overview over this part of the city.

Her excellent eyes made it out immediately: a tall, scrawny figure, dressed in black, eyes dark like coals in sunken holes, face grazed by a ghastly pallor. Teresa shuddered involuntarily. The creepy creature carried a worn leather-bag, clutching it to its chest. And it was pursued by a screaming dwarf, obviously intent to regain possession of the bag. And both were running in her direction.

Teresa acted fast.

She jumped down to the ground, landing safely on her two feet. She grabbed a long shawl from the clothier's stall, again ignoring the outrage her actions caused, and knotted the rough fabric around the next lamppost. Then she waited until she saw the strange dark being approach. When it was almost level with her, she raced across the street as fast as she could, pulling the shawl taut, putting her whole flimsy weight down to stop the thief's flight.

She managed to trip him, but the impact whirled her high into the air, having her lose all sense of orientation for a moment. But Teresa was fast, she briskly shook her head to clear her mind and jumped on the struggling creature's chest, trying to wrench the bag out of its grasp. When it refused to let go, she just bit down on its hand, and it released the purse with a terrified yelp. Teresa landed on the pavement, directly on her backside, all air knocked from her lungs. But she clutched the bag tightly in her arms, and the scary dark being just scowled at her and fled the market.

The dwarf arrived at the scenery shortly after, considerably out of breath.

"My bag!", he exclaimed when he saw Teresa lying on the ground, "you got my bag!"

He grabbed it, pressing it against his chest like a long-lost lover.

"Thank god", he cried, "I thought it was lost!"

When he had managed to get a grip, he turned and looked at Teresa.

"Damn, you brave little…girl", he said, reaching his hand out to help her up, "are you hurt?"

Teresa easily managed to get up on her own, declining the dwarf's assistance. The gaping crowd that had gathered around them diffused shortly after, and Teresa was not ungrateful of that. She definitely didn't want to draw attention to herself.

She wiped the dust from her clothes and looked at the dwarf. He was still rather young, not a single grey hair on his head. Dwarfs completed the aging cycle much later than pixies, who aged until they were twenty-five, or even fairies, who stopped aging around forty. A dwarf got older until he was seventy. This specimen was about thirty, if Teresa wasn't mistaken. He had stark blue, sparkling eyes and an extensive brown beard.

"Allow me to introduce myself", the dwarf said with a courteous little bow, "my name is Gandoli, and I'm a dwarf."

"Teresa Lisbon.", she said and extended her hand. Gandoli took it and shook vigorously.

When he had finished, he thoughtfully wrapped her green strand around his fingers.

"So, Teresa Lisbon- what are you?"

"I'm a pixie."

"A PIXIE?", Gandoli frowned and took a step back, scrutinizing her closely, his eyes wandering up and down her frame. After some seconds, his features softened again. "You're very cute. So, if you're looking for company, I could…"

"Awww, please- cut the crap, will you", Teresa scowled, rolling her eyes at him, "I'm not looking for an amorous adventure, thank you very much. And, by the way- you barely reach up to my shoulders."

"The trolls don't seem to mind", Gandoli shrugged cheerfully.

"The trolls screw everything that walks on two legs- as do the dwarfs, by the way."

"How come you know so much about us, but we know nothing about you?"

"I know how to read, my vertically challenged friend."

"Pah- you're not a giant either," Gandoli chuckled, "the fairies are taller than you!"

"Only about 12 inches taller- that's nothing."

"And by the way- there are no books about pixies, or I WOULD have read them."

"I know."

Gandoli smiled.

"Anyway, my beautiful pixie-friend," he said brightly," you saved those very confidential documents from a terrible fate, and I'm exceedingly grateful. So, what do you want here and how can I help you?"

"I need to get to the castle", Teresa said," before the hour of the yearning."

"We have ample time then", Gandoli beamed, "and not a problem- I work at the castle and was on my way up there anyway, so I'd feel honored to accompany you."

"Okay", Teresa said, "but don't try anything funny."

"Too bad", the dwarf sighed, "you're such a luscious little thing, and not every part of me is small, I assure you. But your wish is my command, of course."

Teresa rolled her eyes again, but she followed him when he moved to lead the way.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa had to admit, Gandoli was good company. He told her lots of stories about the city and its inhabitants, he seemed to know almost everyone, and hey- he was extremely funny.

And, to be honest: it had felt good to meet someone who didn't mistrust her. Gandoli had accepted the fact that she was one of those odd pixies nobody knew about without difficulties. He chattered away as if she was a long-time friend, making her feel…welcome.

She was almost sad when they reached the castle's main entrance. The giants who kept watch let them pass when they saw Gandoli, but they scowled at Teresa. Just to be on the safe side, she stayed close to the dwarf.

The castle was amazing. It looked as if it was carved from a single diamond, glittering in the evening sun like a thousand stars. The clock struck- the hour of the yearning. Teresa was right on time.

"Well, my beautiful pixie", Gandoli smiled, " unfortunately, at this point we have to part company. I have some errands to do, and your way will lead you to this building there- the throne room is square in the middle of it."

"Hey", Teresa said, "thank you. You were great company. And you didn't treat me like a freak."

"I'm the one who has to be grateful, Teresa Lisbon", he giggled, bowing before her, "and something tells me that we'll meet again. I'm looking most forward to it."

And then, he was gone.

xxMentalistxx

Roderick Galvan, cardinal advisor of Faebar's council, looked at his king.

"So, your highness", he drawled, "Do you think the pixie will show up today?"

"My dear Galvan", Jane chuckled, "I'm absolutely sure he won't."

Galvan smiled cheerfully- which was a rarity. But things looked good for him. He'd worked for years to gain the king's confidence, though the damn Milaro had always mistrusted him, hardly ever leaving him out of his watchful gaze.

In fact, Red John had done him a favor- twice. If Roderick had known his identity, he possibly would have sent the killer some flowers. He needed the king lost and out of his mind with pain and his hunt for vengeance. All the better for Galvan's ambitious plans. He just had to get rid of the pixie, then the chase for Milaro's successor would begin anew. So far, no other candidate had come up, and the king seemed happy enough to leave his deceased friend's chair unoccupied for the time being.

Roderick rubbed his prominent nose. He would succeed- he had no doubts about it.

Cho approached the king. Damn, Roderick hated the stocky, solemn guy. An unnerving smart-ass and do-gooder- and unfortunately, extremely close to Jane.

Cho bowed and was just about to speak when a deafening crash could be heard from the hallway.

Instinctively, all fifty members of the council moved in front of the king to shield him from danger.

_In the next chapter, our heroes will meet for the first time. Please review! I'm thrilled to know what you think about this._


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, they will meet now, in this chapter, I promise. Thank you so much for your reviews- I'd never have thought that I can pull that through, since so many don't like AUs. Thank you for giving me the chance to write this- it has haunted me for a while now, and I just have to get it out of my system. Thanks for reading and reviewing!_

Dust

Chapter 6

Teresa needed some time to find her way through the huge castle. Every door was inserted into a much bigger one intended for the giants. The hallways were so spacious she felt lost in them.

Finally, she had no choice and asked one of the fairies she met on her way. He narrowed his eyes at her in an open gesture of mistrust, but grudgingly showed her the way to the throne room.

Teresa turned some corners, walked through another hallway and came upon an exceptionally huge door, that one looked good, could very well be the throne room, so she would just knock politely and…

A huge finger came out of nowhere and flipped her away like a worthless insect. Teresa landed on her butt with an audible thud.

"HEY!" she screamed, "What do you think you're doing, you stupid fart!"

Rigsby squatted down and stared at her.

"What are you?" he asked with a frown.

"What do you think I am, you butt ugly dimwit?"

"You look almost like a fairy-", Rigsby growled, visibly confused, " but you sure as hell don't talk like one! And you are a girl- in pants! Green pants! No fairy wears green! So- what are you?"

"I'm a pixie, you oversized idiot!", Teresa shouted, than calmed her voice a little," And I have an audience with the king."

Rigsby laughed heartily, his voice so loud and thundering that the force of his breath made her stumble backwards.

"A female pixie", Rigsby giggled, "an audience with my king? Forget it. You'll never get into that room in your life. Scram, pixie-girl."

"You want me to leave, you dumb piece of shit?" Teresa screamed on top of her lungs," Make me, you slow bugger!"

Rigsby scowled and tried to grab her, but Teresa slipped between his legs, skittering on the floor, and came up well out of his reach. The giant straightened and turned, but before he could move his hand, Teresa had climbed up onto his back, managing to evade his groping fingers. When she felt his anger like a palpable presence, she jumped down in front of him.

"Can't catch me, huh?", she said softly, and ran through the gap between his legs again. Rigsby roared and bowed down to reach her at all costs. Unfortunately, he lost his balance and crashed down head first.

Teresa didn't hesitate for a second and opened the huge entrance to the throne-room, scrambling inside as fast as she could before she used her whole weight to close the door behind her.

She turned abruptly, panting slightly, only to freeze dead in her tracks.

In front of her stood an enormous crowd of fairies, all towering over Teresa now, wearing deep scowls on their faces.

In front stood a male fairy dressed in pale blue, his hair jet black. He had a regal posture, so Teresa assumed he was the king. She bowed before him, but not too deep. She was no servant. She wouldn't behave like one.

She was just about to say something, when the door crashed open and Rigsby stormed inside, absolutely livid, his face stark red with fury.

Teresa raced to the velvet draperies that covered the windows and started to climb for her life. Reaching the top of the curtains, she took an enormous leap and jumped into the chandelier. She looked down, heart hammering against her ribcage. The giant couldn't reach her now, but several of the fairy males already willed their wings to appear. Damn, they would bring her down in no time.

She tried frantically to find an escape, when the dark-haired man in front of the crowd raised his hand and stopped every action with a brisk movement of his hand. It became deadly silent.

"You!", he shouted, addressing Teresa, "I promise you- we won't harm you. We just want to talk to you and inquire about the reason for your intrusion. After you explained yourself, you're free to go."

Damn. Teresa hesitated for a moment. What choice did she have. She was no intruder, for god's sake- she had an appointment. And the guy, who was most likely the king and her new boss, seemed trustworthy enough.

"Okay", she said, "deal."

"Rigsby", Cho said, "Help her down. And don't hurt her!"

The giant growled, but drudgingly extended his hand. Teresa jumped into his palm, and he put her down carefully.

The dark-haired fairy spoke: "Who are you? How dare you to enter the king's quarters?"

"I'm Teresa Lisbon, your…your highness."

Chatter and faint laughter rose, but the dark one silenced the fairies with another movement of his hand.

"TERESA Lisbon? You're a female."

Teresa swallowed the snarky remark.

"That's true, my lord."

"Are you trying to tell me that you are T. Lisbon? The pixie who cracked Shibar, and obviously Brova, too, one of the most advanced codes existing?"

Teresa raised her chin.

"Yes", she said proudly, "that's me."

Now, the crowd started to roar with laughter, and even the solemn dark-haired fairy couldn't suppress a smile.

"Sorry", he said softly, "but that's hard to believe. But I'm willing to give you a chance." He turned and called out to the silent servants standing at the walls. "Get me the Ephiricon- right now!"

They hustled to follow his orders and brought an enormous book, clad in worn leather, covered in golden ornaments. It was placed on a lectern in front of Teresa.

"Ephiricon", Cho said to her, "the holy book of the fairies. It's written in Brova. If you can read it- you're T. Lisbon ."

I'm T. Lisbon no matter what you boneheads decide, Teresa thought, but she bit back the words and opened the giant book- she could hardly lift the front cover, but managed after some struggle.

Brova was indeed the code her invitation had been written in. She'd deciphered it once and had easily memorized the decoding sequence, so the task was hardly a challenge for her. Her eyes wandered over the page for a few seconds, then she started to read in a clear, unwavering voice, and she read the introduction to the holy book word for word.

All hell broke loose, the outrage deafening.

"That can't be true! She can read it!"

"A pixie, for god's sake!"

"A pixie WOMAN even!"

A scrawny male fairy with a very prominent nose approached the dark-haired one in front of the crowd and touched his arm.

"You can't allow that, Cho!", he exclaimed, "she's the lowest scum of the continent- a lousy pixie, and a woman to top it off! You can't make her the most powerful person after the king!"

But suddenly, a voice sounded out over all the noise, moderately deep, melodic, utterly authoritative and so vibrant that all the chatter quieted instantly.

"I made a promise. And the king keeps his promises."

And the crowd parted to reveal the king.

Teresa's mouth fell open. For in all the books she had read, all the pictures she had seen, among all the creatures she had met on her journey, she had never seen a being even approximately as beautiful as this one.

The king was trim and muscular, as were many fairy men. He was dressed in pale yellow. His hair was blond, moderately short, and slightly curled. It looked silky soft…her hands itched to touch it. Sea green eyes, an angelic, regular face, slightly wrinkled. Traces of a lived life that made him even more attractive. Teresa could not name her exact emotions, but there was light inside him, a flame so powerful it was impossible for her to look away. His wings were unfolded, as yellow as his clothes, the fading rays of the sun filtering through them. While he approached her, he willed them to disappear, and they evaporated in a shower of golden sparks.

He came to a halt only inches from Teresa, watching her intently. She barely reached up to his chest. She couldn't look into his eyes and had no idea why. But she kept her head lowered.

"It's good to meet you, Teresa Lisbon", he said softly, in this voice that was as beautiful as the rest of him, "I've never seen a pixie before."

He put his hand under her chin, lifting her face. She felt a strange sensation where his fingers touched her, a sweet prickle, spreading all over her insides like a warm gush of liquid.

He watched her with friendly curiosity, still keeping his hand beneath her chin. She couldn't have moved to save her life.

"As I said, I gave a promise", he said, "and I'm going to keep it. You read my message and came here right on time. Therefore, you are now the only candidate applying for the post as my chief advisor. A big step for a pixie woman, I'm sure you know that. If you prove to be worthy of your high office, you will take your righteous place at my side at the end of Somor…about five months from now. My friend Cho will instruct you on your new duties. I'm looking forward to working with you, Ms. Lisbon. I'll see you tomorrow morning- at the council's meeting."

He finally took his hand away, and she felt bereft. Cho, the dark-haired male who had convinced her to come down from the chandelier, moved to her side and ushered her out of the room, but Teresa hardly noticed him. The king's eyes were glued to hers, and until the door closed in her face, she couldn't look away.

_Okay….let's go from there. Next chapter up tomorrow- it's already written, so I can promise it. Please- leave your feedback!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Thanks for your friendly encouragement! I'm so glad you're still reading this…_

Dust

Chapter 7

Roderick Galvan felt numb with fury. He desperately tried to control his fierce inner turmoil, but he couldn't help it- his anger demanded destruction, damage, noise…so he spent the whole evening throwing dishes against the stony walls of his gloomy basement quarters, out of his mind with nameless anger.

How dare he- to put a low, non-deserving creature like this dumb pixie before him, Roderick Galvan, who had fought for years to win the king's favor. And now Jane gave the most important post in his kingdom to a piece of scum, and even worse, a female piece of scum!

Roderick screamed on top of his lungs and flung another bowl, watching with grim satisfaction as it shattered and fell to the ground.

He would do the same to this pixie bitch.

There was no other way: she had to go. Fast. He would shatter her, like he shattered everything that stood between him and the power he craved so much.

A cruel smile blossomed on his haggard face, a putrid flower bred of a rotten mind.

His time would come- and he would destroy. With glee. Without mercy.

xxMentalistxx

Cho was calm, and his posture definitely commanded respect. The stony silence was unnerving, but Teresa didn't dare to speak first.

She was relieved when Cho finally started to talk.

"I guess you know most about us from books", Cho said matter-of-factly, "we've been studied, interviewed, described for years. Not like a fairy to be invisible. Just let me make sure you have the most important facts."

He thought for a moment.

"At the center of a fairy's power is its dust", he said softly, "You know what I mean?"

"Honestly", Teresa answered, "I don't."

Cho lifted his hand, and Teresa could see the faint bluish mist wafting from his fingertips.

"So that was what I felt when the king touched me", she whispered in awe, "his fairy dust."

Cho nodded.

"Precisely", he said, "our dust is a magic force. We can't convert creatures into mice or toads. But we can form our dust into palpable things- like this."

He extended his hand and made his dust form a kind of rope- it wrapped around Teresa's hands, and she wasn't able to free herself.

"I understand." She said, and the bluish rope evaporated into a cloud of sparks.

"You can stop a fairy from using the dust by…"

"…immobilizing its hands." Teresa completed.

"That's very important", Cho said, "the king can use his dust as a weapon, but only if he can move his hands."

"But I'm not his bodyguard, am I?", she asked.

"Everybody in this kingdom is his bodyguard, Lisbon. His survival is paramount. He is the people's lifeline. Nobody who can't understand this has a place in this tribe. Can you understand?"

"Yes", Teresa nodded without really knowing why she was so sure, "I understand. I will protect him. With my life."

Cho looked at her thoroughly.

"Why?", he asked.

Teresa's voice was utterly calm.

"I have no idea."

Cho nodded again.

"I guess the Shadows are the race you know the least about.", he said, "they are the fairy's problem. They are low key, and never attacked us directly. But they are not to be trusted. A bunch of killers, if you ask me. Avoid them if possible. They can be stunned with a gun, but only for a short time. They are scared of water and won't come near it. But the only way to kill a Shadow is to decollate it at the hour of the glitter- when the sun is highest. They despise the light, and in their country they live in perpetual darkness. I hope you won't meet them."

I guess I already did, Teresa thought, remembering the creepy creature she tripped on the marketplace. She'd never asked what had been in Gandoli's bag- the king's secrets? Maybe the Shadows weren't so low key after all… A cold shudder ran down her spine, like the foreboding of something evil that had come to touch her. She shook the feeling off.

"Everything else, you will learn gradually", Cho said.

"Does the king think I'm stupid?" she blurted out.

Cho came nearer.

"Don't be afraid", he muttered, "the king sees almost everything. He saw your bravery, and it intrigued him. He doesn't think you're stupid. He thinks you're brave."

Teresa blushed and averted her gaze.

"You can do this job", Cho said, "I know it. I always did."

She looked him in the eyes. Nodded slowly.

"I won't disappoint you. And him."

Cho nodded and opened a door.

"Those are your quarters", he said, "make yourself at home. I'll send you the seamstress to make measurements for new clothes."

Teresa nodded, but when Cho had left she groaned slightly. She just hoped she didn't have to wear those flimsy fairy dresses. She would refuse to be turned into a doll.

Her quarters were extensive, and Teresa felt almost lost inside them. The bed alone was about four times as big as her tiny cot at home. She lay down on it and looked at the richly ornamented ceiling. Thinking about the king.

Damn, she had behaved like a fool- hadn't been able to say a single word to him. She'd never met someone so…overwhelming before. She just hoped her speechlessness wasn't permanent…she needed to defend her position in the council, otherwise she stood no chance against all the fairies who definitely didn't want her there.

Did he want her there?

Damn, she would see. And she definitely wouldn't sleep much tonight.

xxMentalistxx

"Forget it", Teresa snarled, "I'm not going to wear a dress. Like it or not- I'm a pixie. I climb trees, run through dirt, jump from walls. I can't do that in a princess' little skirt. Make me clothes like the males wear, or I'm going to wear my own until they fall apart!"

"But Mademoiselle!", the delicate fairy wailed, "You're so petite! I can make you a wonderful dress- in- light pink? Like a rose!"

"Light pink?", Teresa snorted, "not even in your dreams! Green, my dear,- I won't wear anything else. Make that a pale green if you absolutely have to…but green it is!"

"But…"

"Stop arguing!" the little pixie snapped, "I want what the king is wearing- in green!"

"So be it, then", the seamstress sighed in exasperation, "but don't complain if you don't look like a beautiful little girl!"

Teresa rolled her eyes at her. The last thing she wanted to look like was a beautiful little girl…

xxMentalistxx

…so why in hell did she suddenly want to be beautiful when the king looked at her the next morning? Damn, Lisbon, you're getting completely delusional here…

The seamstress had kept her promise and provided a tight fitting T-shirt with a low-cut V-neck and loose pants in a light green. Which was exactly what the king was wearing…only that his clothes were the usual pale yellow and several sizes bigger than hers.

Teresa had a hard time following the council member's discussions at first- but she was a fast learner and sucked up every bit of information, intent to understand everything about the debates taking place between the fairies.

Finally, the king was to announce his schedule for the day.

"The dwarf's council is a little bit worried because the border of the Shadowlands is so very close to its main settlement", he said, "so I'm going to establish a watch patrol with the trolls in order to protect our friends. But I will have to convince the trolls to participate in my genius plan- what shouldn't be too difficult, given their own…amicable involvement with the dwarfs. I have an appointment with commander van Pelt in the troll's village in Darkwood this afternoon."

"Rigsby will accompany you?", Teresa asked. Huh, where had that come from?

Everybody was staring at her now. Great.

The king smiled. A smile that turned her heart into a large pile of mush. What exactly was happening here?

"No", Jane said softly, "As a giant, Rigsby doesn't feel comfortable in the darkness. And in Darkwood, as the name is suggesting, it's pretty dark, even in broad daylight. So I'm going alone."

"You can't.", Teresa said matter-of-factly.

A murmur ran through the crowd. But Teresa wasn't scared. She felt macho and protective. Crossed her arms over her chest.

Jane mimicked the gesture, his killer smile still firmly in place.

"I will.", he said.

"Oh no, my lord", she said, smiling sweetly, "I'm not powerless as your chief advisor, am I? You want to go all alone into the dark forest? Well, I won't let you."

The voices around her grew louder. And she could hear a certain outrage among them. But Jane's smile deepened, revealing white, regular teeth.

"Okay", he said softly, "you can accompany me, Teresa Lisbon. "

_TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! Pretty please! Next chapter, already written, up tomorrow….then, you'll meet the trolls, and they are special- so be prepared._


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks for your feedback! You're the best readership in the world! This chapter is M for language…the trolls don't take prisoners in that department, and commander van Pelt is no exception. This is a fairy tale for adults, so…_

Dust

Chapter 8

Teresa sighed- what in hell had she gotten herself into now?

An afternoon with the unnerving, drop-dead gorgeous king… charming. She just hoped she wasn't tongue-tied any longer after standing up to him in front of his council- she shuddered. She'd been lucky- that could have gone horribly wrong. Fortunately, the king seemed to like a challenge- at least, he hadn't sent her packing immediately.

But what was the idiot thinking, anyway? Strolling through the woods all on his own, the fairies' most powerful and important man? Their lifeline, for god's sake? She rolled her eyes. Men. Why did they always have to demonstrate how strong, independent and hard-assed they were?

Well, big news to you, Mr. fairy king- not with her.

She took her gun and made sure it was fully loaded- packing some extra ammunition just to play it safe.

If she had to play his bodyguard, she would be the best damn bodyguard he could imagine. Nobody would harm her king on her watch.

xxMentalistxx

Why was she constantly thinking about his looks?

Okay, he looked good. The tight- fitting shirt hugged his pectorals. The pants were riding low on his slim hips.

But was that a reason to go all hormonal on him? Guess it was.

What was worst: he always seemed to know exactly what she was thinking. Cho had been right: the king saw everything, and she could pursue every moment of revelation in his sea-green eyes. And right now his smirk told her that he had just learned everything about this strange attraction she felt.

„I thought all fairies wear tights.", she said mockingly while the dark forest was slowly closing in on them.

"I thought all pixies are ugly.", he answered with a smile.

Teresa blushed. Damn, she was a class A blusher, and of course he had to find out now.

"I thought fairies have pointed ears.", she shot back.

"I thought pixies don't talk much."

Teresa chuckled.

"So, how are the trolls that are serving in your army?", she asked, "More civilized than in the rest of the country?"

"Civilized is certainly not the term I would use", Jane snorted.

"How are they then?", Teresa inquired.

Jane looked at her.

"Permanently horny", he said.

"Which means, they are exactly like those in the rest of the country." Teresa stated.

"Precisely." Jane answered, grinning.

"How do YOU talk to trolls?", Teresa quipped, "In your polite, noble fairy tongue, my lord?"

"Of course, dear Teresa.", his smile was dazzling," Polite is my second name."

The troll village became visible through the trees, and soon Jane and Teresa stood right in the middle of it. Not a single soul could be seen.

"Hey, you stupid fucking turds!", Jane exclaimed, "Where are you idiot ogres? Come out and greet your king, or I'll cut your hearts out with a spoon!"

Teresa smirked.

"Polite, huh?"

He shrugged.

"I aim to please." ,he said with another blinding smile.

A male troll strolled over to them.

"Look who's talking", he drawled," Patrick fucking Jane, our noble king. Still no one of your countless enemies managed to kill you?"

"I'm slick like oil, Pyrus", Jane chuckled, "nobody can get a hold of me. Where's your commanding officer?"

"Getting laid, what else?", Pyrus yawned.

"Tell her she shall hurry up with her climax", Jane said, "we have an appointment, for god's sake."

"I give a flying fuck on your stupid appointments", a booming voice thundered from the underbrush.

Seconds later a tall redheaded woman appeared, calm and composed. And quite beautiful, to be honest. Her breathing wasn't the slightest bit accelerated. Didn't look like recent sex to Teresa, but what did she know about trolls?

"Patrick Jane", the stunning redhead said, smiling, "What do you want?"

"Talk about strategies for protecting the dwarf's settlement, van Pelt."

She sighed.

"Don't you have something more exciting to offer me, your highness?"

Jane smiled.

"Nope", he said, chuckling, "nothing's changed."

"Monogamy sucks, I tell you", van Pelt growled, but she smiled at her king. They shared this running gag since eons.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on Teresa.

"Who's she?", she asked, "Do you breed tiny, green fairies now, Jane?"

"She's my new chief advisor, Teresa Lisbon", Jane said, "and she's a pixie."

Van Pelt was visibly intrigued now and came closer.

"A pixie, huh?", she drawled, "Never saw one. You're sweet." She inclined her head in Jane's direction, not taking her eyes from Teresa's, "if you're a good girl, maybe he'll bang YOU."

Teresa blushed fiercely, but managed to hold van Pelts gaze. The redhead smiled and nodded, impressed.

"You're tougher than you look, that's for sure", she snarled, "let's talk, then?"

She led them into some kind of office and sat down behind an enormous desk. Two massive trolls kept watch at her back.

Jane and Teresa took seats on two chairs in front of her.

"So, Jane- why should I want to protect the dwarfs' settlement?" van Pelt asked with a faked yawn.

"Counter question-", Jane said, "of which race was the guy you were screwing ten minutes ago?"

Van Pelt grinned.

"Point taken." she said, "so, let's develop a schedule for securing the stupid dwarfs' cozy homes- before it gets boring in my pants."

"Can't have that", Jane chuckled.

They discussed the matters at hand well into the evening. Van Pelt might use lots of coarse language, but she was extremely smart and a soldier to the bones.

But Teresa was on top of her game now, too: she had an instinctual understanding of the troop-related strategies- and van Pelt noticed, watching her intently, her gaze alert and interested. A priceless ally, this green-eyed pixie. She would be useful in the future. And she liked the green little thing.

Teresa felt Jane watching her, but she didn't allow her unease to surface. They had work to do- and they did the job, developing an easily manageable, solid schedule that enabled the troll troops to ensure the dwarf's safety without too much workforce. Even if the Shadows should decide to attack.

When they left, the darkness was inky and impenetrable. And Teresa didn't like it one bit. A frown spread on her features.

"Well, well" Jane grinned, "is my little pixie a bit afraid of the dark? Don't worry- your king is here to protect you."

"Are you kidding?", Teresa snapped, "I'm a pixie- operating in darkness is a piece of cake for me. Damn, I can SEE in the dark!"

Jane chuckled and led the way, finding the road without problems. Teresa shuddered slightly. She couldn't wait to come home. To Faringol.

xxMentalistxx

Jane stared at Teresa, not even trying to hide the fact.

He was fascinated, and he had no problem admitting it. She was the most beautiful being he had ever seen. If all pixies were as beautiful as she was, it was a good thing they didn't live anywhere near the trolls…the horny bastards would have been pestering them for sex all the time.

He hadn't felt attracted to a woman since his queen had been killed ten years ago. Fairies were monogamous, but could bond again when their mate died or left- the latter never happened in fairy-relationships, since both parties were bonded for life. He'd never even thought about falling in love again, the whole concept had become awkward and alien to him.

But Teresa Lisbon was different than anyone he'd ever met, her beauty wasn't flat, it was wild and lively, she was smart and courageous, and a genius strategist- he'd just seen that with his own eyes.

He smiled to himself. Cho had been right- again. She was the best choice for this post.

And he couldn't help it- his insides quivered when he thought about working with her, day by day. He would make the fairy kingdom her home. She belonged at his side now.

The thought made him hum softly under his breath.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa felt the king's eyes on her. What was he thinking? Well, she wouldn't find out if she didn't dare to look at him, would she?

She mustered her courage and faced him.

"Do I have dirt on my face or what?", she asked softly.

"No", Jane drawled, "not at all. You're flawlessly beautiful."

Damn. The stupid blush again. She stepped away from him, hoping he wouldn't notice her burning cheeks- but the guy noticed everything.

He grinned triumphantly.

Teresa was just about to throw him a snarky remark, when suddenly two ghastly pale arms shot out of the ground and wrapped around the king's legs.

_Evil cliffhanger? Damn, I hate those myself…if anyone of you wants me to post Chapter 9 right now, and not wait until tomorrow- tell me in a review. I might do it._


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks for your reviews, I'm glad you like it so far :D…And since so many of you want to read this chapter now, I'm going to post it._

Dust

Chapter 9

Teresa was shell-shocked, all blood sucked from her brain, terror freezing her to the bones. She couldn't move.

A creepy creature dressed in black came up behind the king immediately and grabbed his hands, taping them together with some kind of sticky substance. Immobilizing them effectively. Teresa saw the outline of Jane's appearing wings, usually a fairy's best chance for escape, but the attackers had an unbreakable hold on him- he couldn't fly out. That roused Teresa from her numbness.

"No!", she screamed, "don't extend your wings! They will crush them!"

Jane stared at her in horror and willed his half-materialized wings to evaporate.

The assailants ignored her completely, obviously thinking that such a tiny woman couldn't do anything to stop them. Well- ask the guy who tripped in the marketplace, Teresa thought.

She saw a fourth figure appearing, holding a vicious-looking knife in its hand. Seven stabs to the heart. Only way to kill a fairy.

A deafening explosion blasted through the quiet forest. The guy with the knife fell lifeless to the ground.

That got the remaining offenders' attention, alright, they roared with anger and started to approach Teresa, but she raised the smoking gun and took them out, one by one, clean shots to the head.

She raced to the king and looked at his hands, tied behind his back. Thank god they had only used some kind of adhesive tape, covering his fingers down to their tips. She could peel it off without difficulties.

The king looked at his hands, yellow mist wafting from his fingertips. He formed the dust into a tight rope and nodded slowly.

"Everything in working order", he breathed.

"We have to get out of here", Teresa whispered, "fast! They'll wake up eventually, and I have no idea if there's back-up lurking somewhere around here!"

Jane nodded, his wings already materializing. He picked Teresa up, her small weight hardly registering on his firm muscles, and took off into the pitch black sky.

xxMentalistxx

Flying made Teresa nauseous with fear, so she clutched Jane's body with all her might, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, face buried against his shoulder, her heart beating frantically against her ribcage.

Fortunately, the flight was short. Jane landed on the top terrace of his castle and put her down, already moving to get to the throne room.

The council was called in immediately, and the faces of the advisors fell while Jane recounted what had happened to him and Teresa, who stood silently next to him.

"I don't need to tell you, my friends", he said seriously, "that this is the first time the Shadows directly attacked members of our people, something like this has never occurred before. Effective immediately, no fairy is allowed to leave the city of Faringol alone- they have to go out in groups only, and make sure they are able to defend themselves. Stay watchful, and fly out immediately if there are any signs of danger. I want additional lights in the city to scare the damn bastards off. And all the fountains are to be kept running through the whole night. Inform my people right now, all of you!"

The councilors buzzed off. Only the king and Teresa remained.

Jane turned and faced her.

"You saved my life", he said softly, "I'm grateful."

"I did my duty, my lord."

He nodded, his beautiful eyes forlorn and sad, and she just wished she could do anything to console him. Kiss it better. She shook her head.

"Your highness", she started, "the Shadows didn't attack an anonymous member of your people. They took YOU, and they aimed to kill you. Why?"

"I have no idea.", he whispered, "Go to bed and try to find some rest. We have hard work to do tomorrow."

She didn't want to leave him, wanted to stay and hold him, give him some hope. Get the glorious smile back onto his face.

But she bowed and left him alone.

She had just closed the door behind her and moved to get to her quarters when she startled violently. Cho stood right next to her, hidden in the dark.

His voice was calm when he spoke.

"I might know why the Shadows want to kill our king."

xxMentalistxx

He led her into his office and closed the door behind him.

Teresa sat down in front of his desk and waited for him to start talking. But Cho waited, looking at her. Trying to see what was behind those emerald green eyes.

Could he trust her? Trust her like he had trusted Milaro?

He decided to take the leap.

"Do you know about the king's family?", he asked.

"No", Teresa said, "I didn't even know he has any."

"He had.", Cho said, his gaze trailing off, utter pain visible in his eyes," A wife and a daughter. They were murdered by a serial killer who chooses his victims all over the country. He killed your predecessor, too."

Teresa was numb with shock, unable to say anything.

"The king almost died after he lost his family.", Cho continued, " He just withered until there wasn't much left of him. But he is our king- the best king imaginable. So he rose again for his beloved people. But at his core lies the thirst for revenge- this is everything that makes him go on now. He wants to find Red John, the killer who took his family, and have him executed. But so far, he wasn't able to find him."

"How does this connect to the attack on the king this night?", Teresa asked softly.

"About a year ago, Milaro and I got an anonymous tip", Cho said, "hinting on the fact that Red John might be a Shadow. We checked the evidence- and decided that it looked solid. So I send an official letter to a watcher in the mountains, ordering him to investigate the case. But we found the watcher at his home some time later- dead. And our letter was gone."

Teresa thought for a moment.

Watchers were hermits, living on their own in the most secluded areas. They had eagle-like wings and sharp minds, what made them ideal investigators- they were sought after whenever there was something complicated to find out.

"You're telling me", Teresa whispered, "that the Shadows found the letter- and think that the king suspects their race of hiding the killer. Does he? Does King Jane know about this?"

Cho sighed, lowering his head.

"No.", he finally said, his voice as calm as ever, "he doesn't know it. You must know, he…changes when he deals with Red John. Gets ruthless. Cold. Irrational. Risking everything and everyone just to exact his revenge. The Shadows hope that the frantic hunt for vengeance would die with our king. That's why they try to eliminate him."

"Why shouldn't the Shadows be willing to extradite Red John?", Teresa asked, "Would they truly risk a war for the sake of a sadistic killer?"

"The Shadows never extradite killers", Cho stated, "and believe me- many have tried to convince them otherwise. They think the murderers to be valuable members of their society- brilliant minds they don't want to lose. They don't care that they kill. Moral standards are alien to Shadows, believe me."

"We have to tell the king", she said.

"No." Cho was not kidding, she could see it in his dark eyes, "Not until we have definite proof. I won't nourish my lord's mania. His usually sound judgment fails whenever Red John is involved. That's the reason why he can't see that Galvan isn't his friend. Usually, Jane would see through his shady schemes without a problem. But whenever the king gets suspicious, Galvan manages to inflame his thirst for revenge to new heights. And Jane sees nothing when his vision is colored blood red. So, no- we can't tell him any of this until we know for sure that Red John is a Shadow."

Teresa looked him straight in the eye.

"Then", she said, her voice deadly calm, "let's get proof."

_By the way- I guess the whole story will have about 25 chapters at least, maybe more. I'm writing Chapter 19 at the moment- chapter 10 is up tomorrow. Oh yes, you have to wait, I'm not gonna post it in one heap- enjoy the anticipation :D. I'm mean, I know…_


	10. Chapter 10

_My dear readers, I'll be forever grateful for your reviews and alerts! No way I'm going to abandon that now, so let's see how this will go on…._

Dust

Chapter 10

Gandoli was elated to see Teresa again.

"My, my, look at you!", he squealed, "You look like a fairy! Unfortunately, a male fairy…well, with breasts…lovely breasts, if I may say so…"

Teresa chuckled.

"Stop staring, dwarf!", she said, "I need your help."

"No problem, love!", he drawled, "I owe you big time. Shoot!…that is, if you don't want me to shoot first…"

Teresa sighed, deciding to leave the last remark uncommented.

"Listen, Gandoli", she said, "do you know any Watchers?"

"Oh", the dwarf exclaimed, "I know several- do you want the best there is, or…"

"Oh no", she sighed, "I'll just take second best, it's not that important…of course I want the best there is, you moron!"

"Brittle, then", the dwarf chuckled, "he's shy and hates dealing with the fairies, so he never takes any assignments from them, but he might be convinced to get involved when I tell him you're a pixie. Curiosity is at the base of every watcher, you know. And Brittle always wanted to meet a pixie."

Teresa frowned. He always wanted to meet a pixie? Interesting…

"Can you contact him?", she asked.

"No.", Gandoli stated cheerfully, and her heart sank, "But my brother can. I'll send you a message as soon as the contact has been made."

Teresa nodded and hugged the dwarf- and ignored with just a tiny sigh how gleefully he pressed his face into her breasts.

xxMentalistxx

She was early for the council's meeting next morning.

Rigsby stood in front of the throne room, opening the door for her with a small nod. She was about to enter, but hesitated for a second.

"Rigsby?", she shouted.

He squatted down.

"It's not your fault what happened yesterday", she said, placing her tiny hand on his knee, "it's theirs."

"I should have been there, councilor", he whispered, his eyes desperate and woebegone, "been there to protect my king."

"You will be there the next time, Rigsby", she said firmly, "He depends on you, do you know that? Don't falter. We all need you on top of your game right now."

Rigsby straightened, a look of determination spreading on his features.

"You're right", he said, "I will protect him. With my life."

"That's what I want to hear.", Teresa smiled at him and moved to enter the room.

"Councilor?", Rigsby stopped her, and she faced him, "Good you're here."

She smiled, nodded and stepped into the throne room.

She was all alone and strolled through the hall for a moment, looking at it thoroughly for the first time. The king's throne was at the end on an impressive stage, surrounded by gold. The huge round table where the councilors met was placed next to the door.

Teresa wandered around for a moment before she headed back to the table, ready to take her place. She stopped in her tracks. The king sat on her chair, looking at her with a soft smile on his face. Her heartbeat accelerated. Damn. This guy drove her nuts.

"Your highness", she said, bowing slightly, "here so early?"

"As are you, councilor", he replied.

"I didn't sleep very well last night", she muttered.

He looked thoughtfully at her.

"You know what the…incident yesterday means for the work of the council, don't you?"

She nodded slowly.

"A traitor", she breathed, "there has to be a traitor in our ranks."

"That's true, Teresa", he whispered, "and I'm going to find him today."

He got up when Galvan entered, slapping his back encouragingly.

Galvan looked at Teresa, his gaze cold and hostile. She shivered, remembering Cho's words. Galvan is not the king's friend, and he can't see it, because he's blinded by his thirst for revenge. And the scrawny advisor made sure it stayed this way. She willed her face to remain impassive.

The other councilors strolled in one by one, until no seat around the table remained empty.

The king rose and looked at his advisors.

"Most of us have deduced by now what the attack yesterday told us about those assembled here", he said slowly, his voice firm and commanding, "there is only one way the Shadows could have known where I would spend the last evening."

A murmur ran through the crowd.

"We have a traitor in our midst", Jane continued, starting to walk around the table, watching the group of fairies intently, "someone who told the shadows exactly where they would find me in the dark of the night. And I will find him today. With the help of my chief advisor, who bravely saved my life last night- Teresa Lisbon."

He extended his hand towards her, and she took it, allowing him to pull her upright. Her skin prickled where his dust touched her.

He released her hand and resumed his walk behind the backs of his councilors.

"Nobody here knows anything about the pixies", he said, "but I learned lots about them while I walked next to councilor Lisbon on my way to the trolls. And I now know of a special talent all pixies have."

He stared at her, willing her to play along, and she nodded imperceptibly.

"The pixies", he exclaimed, pausing for effect, "can make the aura around a creature visible by a flick of their hand. So, if councilor Lisbon works her magic in a minute, every one of us will show his true colors. Only the aura of the traitor will be black. Teresa- please reveal who betrayed your king."

Teresa had no idea what she should do now, but that wasn't necessary. Before she could raise her hand, councilor Jeff Bergstrom jumped up and raced towards the door- only to be stopped by a growling Rigsby.

The giant grabbed Bergstrom by the neck and pushed him down at the feet of his king.

"You can do no such thing, can't you?", Cho whispered into Teresa's ear.

"Absolutely not.", she answered and sensed the cardinal advisor's faint smile.

"Well", Jane said, smiling coldly at Bergstrom, "I can't say that I'm surprised. Bloodshot eyes, trembling hands, problems to concentrate…you've been addicted to Sleeva, the Shadow's designer drug, for quite some time now, haven't you? I never thought you would go that far. Sloppy of me, I'm afraid. Rigsby- take him to a cell in the basement until he can be shipped to Ravanna."

Nervous chatter started among the councilors when the fairies' infamous prison Island was mentioned. Not a place any fairy longed to see.

Bergstrom was taken away by Rigsby, and the king took his seat again.

"Now that we got rid of the waste", he said quietly, "let's talk about my schedule. I will visit the fairy kindergarten today, accompanied by Rigsby-and councilor Lisbon."

He flung his megawatt smile at her.

And Teresa had the feeling she faced another long, hot day.

_Fair warning: next chapter, we cross the borders to M-country- and it won't be just for language this time...please, review! I'm always so curious to know what you're thinking!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Okay- you want another chapter? Why not- I wrote Chapter 21 today, so I can well afford it :D. But: prepare for the sappy stuff. It's M! NOT FOR LANGUAGE!_

Dust

Chapter 11

Faringol's kindergarten lay close to the marketplace.

"Get up on my shoulder", Rigsby said, "lots faster that way."

Teresa wasn't that fond of great heights, but she swallowed her fear and climbed onto the giant's outstretched hand. He gently put her up on his shoulder. Teresa looked down, swallowed dryly and grabbed a strand of Rigsby's hair.

It was the hour of the word, midmorning, the sun white-gold and hot already, all around them nature in full bloom. Teresa felt light-headed all of a sudden, forgetting all the fear and dread and the serious business she had to deal with at the castle. She couldn't wait to see the glittering streets of Faringol again and shielded her eyes with her hand to catch a glimpse of it at the horizon.

Rigsby managed the decline from the hill without problems, and some minutes into their journey, Teresa started to feel safe with him. The king himself was flying, of course, sliding gracefully through the air, and Teresa couldn't stop staring at him.

Something told her it could be risky to get close. She was completely inexperienced- while living in her parent's community at the end of the world, she hadn't thought about falling in love once. Who wanted to be a redneck pixie's devout little housewife? But now those obscure feelings seemed dangerously close, threatening to overwhelm her, and she couldn't help being afraid. Never had she thought that love could be an unavoidable force- something you didn't choose to engage in…it chose you.

She willed herself to look away and allowed the breathtaking landscape to distract her.

Rigsby put her down carefully when they reached their destination.

The kindergarten was buzzing with life, and Teresa felt herself smiling brightly at the sight of so many delicate, tiny fairy children, all racing to greet their king. She saw Rigsby's face soften visibly and remembered- the giants loved all little ones and always longed to protect them. Her smile even deepened. This was a good place to be.

It was more than obvious that the children loved the king- and he reciprocated the feeling, scooping them up into his arms one by one, cuddling back when they clung to his neck.

"Okay", he cried out eventually, "who wants to hear a story?"

Everyone shouted with glee and raised their hands. Jane laughed and sat down on a large stone in the middle of the lawn, the children sitting down on the ground all around him. He picked up a little boy and placed him on his knee, and started to tell a tale of his childhood.

Teresa knew then that she was hopelessly lost, watching him unfold his story, changing his voice to match the different characters, laughing with the little fairies when he came upon an especially funny scene.

A lump formed in her throat the size of the mountains the giants were born from, and she knew that this was what it felt like.

Her heart sank. What would become of her? How could she do her job- in love with the king? She felt cold all of a sudden, and was still shivering when Jane finished his story.

The leader of the kindergarten, a graceful fairy called Ms. Leoman, greeted them and asked them to join her on a guided tour through the facilities.

It was an impressive sight: many children spent a part of their days inside the colorful, cheery rooms, and Teresa learned lots about the fairies' upbringing.

"Our children are raised in a community that wants them to experience themselves as social beings", the king explained, "so they visit the kindergarten at an early age to meet their peers and learn to enjoy the interaction."

Jane lifted a tiny boy, who couldn't walk yet and sat on a blanket clutching a doll to his chest, into his arms and kissed his cheek. The little fairy squealed with delight, and the king smiled fondly at him.

"Is he able to fly?", Teresa asked softly, her heart warming at the sight before her.

"Not yet", Jane said, tickling the small fairy boy, eliciting more happy laughter from the little one, "He can't will his wings to appear."

"How do his parents know he even has wings?"

"They are visible the minute he is born- and evaporate immediately afterwards. They will be useable when he is about three years old. Ready to command his mind to will them into appearance."

Teresa nodded, wondering. Would her children have wings if she married the…she gasped, embarrassed that she would think something like that. She felt the telltale blush spread on her cheeks.

And when she looked up, the king's smile told her that he had no problems to follow the line of her thoughts. She winced under her breath.

When it was time to get back to the castle, the children said tearful goodbyes, sad to see the king leave. He kissed countless tiny cheeks and hugged innumerable small bodies before he waved a last time, throwing everyone a blasting smile, and made his wings appear before taking off into the cerulean afternoon sky.

Rigsby picked Teresa up and placed her on his shoulder, where she found that she was touchy-feely. She snuggled against the giant's neck, and he allowed the contact with a smile.

When they were about halfway to the castle, the king flew down until he was level with his bodyguard's face.

"Take the route via the waterfalls, Rigsby", he said, "I would like to take a bath."

The giant nodded.

"Of course, my lord."

Teresa stiffened. The last thing she wanted to do right now was watching the king take a bath.

"Your highness", she said hastily, her voice shrill to her own ears, "forgive me, but I'm rather tired now, so…"

"No problem", he interrupted, "get in with me. The cool water of the falls is- invigorating."

This time, it was her who read the message in his eyes loud and clear. And her face was aflame immediately. And sure as hell as red as a tomato.

xxMentalistxx

He sat down next to her on Rigsby's shoulder and took her hand. His wings evaporated in a golden shower while he stroked her fingers, making her skin tingle, his fairy dust hovering all around them. Teresa was panting, she could hear it, but she couldn't stop.

The king smiled sheepishly at her. But he had made up his mind.

The waterfalls were breathtaking. Sparkling water crashed over the rocky edge, forming a giant curtain of liquid before it pooled in a shallow lagoon, surrounded by the wildest of nature.

Rigsby helped the king down. Teresa wanted to hide, but the giant grabbed her easily and placed her gently on the ground. He winked at her and sat down a short distance away, leaning against an overlarge tree.

The king started to undress without looking at her, humming softly to himself. He didn't show a modicum of self-consciousness.

Teresa stared helplessly. She'd never, ever seen a naked man before, fairy or otherwise, and she couldn't stop looking. His skin looked soft and smooth, golden-hued all over, the muscles firm and strong beneath it, rippling with every movement. He tossed the shirt on the ground and moved to open his pants. They slid to the ground, leaving him stark naked.

Teresa bit her lower lip to stifle a gasp. Damn, he was…huge. Something inside her clenched, she had no idea, what. Jane stretched his arms out over his head, shamelessly displaying his bare body, and rubbed his hands over his torso on their way down. Teresa's mouth fell open, her whole world seemed to tumble upside down. Her clothes felt too tight and sticky, her skin moist and raw.

The king sighed and marched into the water, two emerald-green eyes following him, unable to stop wandering over his body. He had a perfect butt, firm, shapely, her hands itched to…

He turned and looked at her, submerged to the hip bones. All thoughts stopped inside her mind while she watched him getting very, very aroused. She knew the technicalities, damn her. She'd read it all.

The king smiled and crooked a finger at her.

"Come here", he mouthed.

"What about Rigsby?", she said, not recognizing her own voice, "You want him to watch?"

"Meh", Jane chuckled, "he won't watch. He's just not interested at all. Giants don't procreate- they evaporate from mammoth rocks in the mountains. Sex has no meaning for them. He knows that my screams don't say I'm hurt. That's all that's important for him. I'll say it again: come here."

And god help her- Teresa grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head.

_Mean cliffhanger, huh? Review, and I post the next chapter tomorrow- I know: I'm evil….:D…_


	12. Chapter 12

_Okay- you might have guessed it, but this is M now. I post Chapter 12 and 13 today, for those are the first sexy chapters- afterwards, things have to go a little bit south, I'm afraid._

_I so much appreciate your feedback, it's utterly encouraging._

_I like to say that I'm no professional writer, and this story is quite a task, so please forgive me if I might rush things sometimes or leave a tiny plot-hole here and there- I try to get better and better, and to achieve this, I need practice. This is the first time I develop a storyline as extensive as this, so please- be lenient towards me. I try to be on top of my game every time, but as I said: this is quite a piece of work._

_Thank you so much for your support!_

Dust

Chapter 12

Of course Teresa Lisbon had never undressed for a man, and some part of her still thought this might be a bad idea. Was she out of her mind to even consider this?

But her senses had put her brain on autopilot. So she just did what her heart told her.

Nakedness was not as natural for her as for him, but his look of utter appreciation tempered her self-consciousness. So he liked what he saw, huh? Well, then it was fine with her.

She allowed him some seconds to stare, and stepped into the water. She submerged to her shoulders, exhaling a breath of relief, and pushed back against a large rock on the edge of the pond. The solid wall felt good at her back.

Damn, she was scared.

Jane looked at her out of narrowed eyes.

Definitely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but so damn tiny. For a moment he wondered if they were truly compatible. Well, he would find out. He just hoped he wouldn't hurt her. There sure as hell wasn't an account of fairy-pixie sex anywhere in his library, so this here was undiscovered territory.

"Okay", she said slowly, her voice just as tiny as the rest of her, "what if I stay here and you stay over th…"

He was on her so fast Teresa couldn't even blink. His body, massive in comparison to hers, pressed her against the rocky surface behind her, his hard erection nudging her abdomen. His lips claimed hers in a searing, wild kiss, exploring her with wet, sensual licks of his hungry tongue. Teresa shivered and let him intrude, opening her lips for him, his taste infusing her senses, heady, rich, sweet and soft like the worst addictive substance. He plundered her mouth while his hands started to trace her body, so small, frail like a feather, but pliant and luscious everywhere.

She moaned into his mouth when his long, elegant fingers probed between her legs, measuring her gently, arousing her beyond sanity. She'd never known sensations like this.

A tiny part of her wanted to cling to rational thought.

"My lord", she gasped, wrenching her lips from his, "we can't do this!"

"Too late", he chuckled, looking into her deep, green eyes, "we're already doing it."

He lowered his head and kissed her breasts, sucking the soft, pink nipples into his mouth, caressing them into firm little peaks. Teresa groaned with pleasure, the piercing desire hitting her core with unanticipated force. She could almost hear her insides screaming for him, and he heard it, too, for he straightened and closed in on her, wrapping her slender legs around his waist with a sure movement of his strong hands.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt how open she was to him now, how easily accessible, and she knew she couldn't turn away any longer. For a second, all possible consequences crashed into her mind, before she nodded silently and embraced them. If this was the end, she wanted to have him before she faced it.

When he slid into her, the world stopped around her. She didn't hear a sound. Didn't feel the breeze, the cool of the water. Just saw his deep, sparkling eyes.

He was exceptionally huge, she was almost sure pixie men were much smaller, but her walls received him, stretched for the intruder, and he went slow, gentle, restraining himself. She was unbelievably tight all around him, her sheath gripping him like a hot fist, and he couldn't get enough.

The fairies' stamina was legendary, and that kept him from coming then and there. It had been so long, and she felt so good- nothing had ever felt so good. Love flooded his whole system, and finally he thrust deep inside her, reveling in her cry of pleasure, angling her hips so she could take him even deeper, and then he was there, embedded in her cushion-soft core to the hilt, their stomachs touching.

He sent excited puffs of sweet breath against her lips. She pressed a kiss on his trembling mouth.

Jane clutched her tighter and started to move, his thrusts deep and forceful, igniting every inch of her hyper-sensitive walls while he took her, over and over again, surging to the utmost depths of her core, filling her, chasing every doubt out of her head, until desire was all there was to feel, Teresa clung to his shoulders, her cries getting louder and louder, so many sensations she almost couldn't breathe through them, his manhood rubbing over neglected nerve-endings with every thrust, until her whole body was alive and aflame and so aroused it was sheer, delicious agony.

The cool water was sloshing all around them, making his body feel all the hotter, heightening the searing lust until it was almost painful.

He picked up speed, pumping harder, her body sucking on him, luring him, hungry, demanding.

Teresa's eyes snapped open and fluttered shut again, and suddenly a deafening explosion roared through her body, shutting down everything that resembled coherent thought, and her walls were convulsing so hard that she screamed while wave after wave of nameless pleasure crashed down on her. All air was knocked from her lungs and she couldn't care less, her focus centering on his shaft entering the tight confines of her sheath again and again, the sensations rendering her speechless.

Jane felt her climax in every pore, her slick walls contracting all around him, squeezing until he was almost blind with ecstasy and gave up every ounce of control he had, yelling when he came inside her, his seed hot and wet deep inside her, spending more and more in endless, searing billows.

Both were breathing heart when the waves of orgasm subsided, and Jane pressed his forehead against Teresa's, gulping sweet air into his lungs.

He was still inside her and pushed his hips against hers in quiet enjoyment for a moment before he pulled out and put her down to stand on her own feet. As a fairy, he didn't need a break before he could produce another erection, but he knew it had possibly been her first time, he had felt it, so he wanted to allow her some moments to comprehend what had just happened between them. He noticed that he had no idea how the pixies bonded- was she as monogamous as he was? Damn, he hoped she was.

His hands were gentle when he steadied her against his body, he felt her rapid heartbeat against his skin and hugged her tighter to him, kissing her silky-soft hair tenderly.

She all but melted into his arms, dreading the moment they had to part. Her legs were shaking, but she felt safe here with him, inhaling his delicious scent, nose pressed against his skin.

He pulled back slightly and looked at her. His fingers traced the small, tear-shaped pendant resting over her collarbone.

"Let's go home", he whispered, "the kingdom is waiting for us."

And he kissed her a last time, his lips so warm and soft she started to cry.

She was pacing her quarters restlessly when she heard a knock on her door.

When she opened, the hallway was empty. But a single sheet of paper, neatly folded, lay on the ground. She picked it up and unfolded it slowly.

The words on it were written in some kind of code, easy to decipher, so simple it seemed almost childlike. Teresa smiled and read the message:

"Meet him in the basement of the servants' tract. Now. G."

She grabbed what she needed and stormed out of the room.

_I'll post the next chapter right now, but please- don't let this keep you from leaving feedback :D!_


	13. Chapter 13

_So- next chapter up right now. Will be M again!_

Dust

Chapter 13

The basement was dark and quiet and so dusty it was more than obvious that nobody ever came here.

Teresa hugged herself against the cold that was oozing from the walls.

"Brittle?", she whispered, "You there?"

He stepped out of the shadows. He was slender, slightly taller than she was. Piercing blue eyes and soft brown hair. His impressive wings were folded on his back.

"What do you need?", he said softly.

"I need you to find someone", Teresa said, "A killer among the Shadows."

His lips curled into a humorless smile.

"Red John", he said, "Did nobody tell you that the king has engaged countless watchers to find him, little pixie? Not one of them could."

"Yes", she murmured, "but you are the best."

"That's right." He chuckled. "So I might find him."

"You have to", she said hoarsely, "the fate of the kingdom might depend on it."

"What do you give me for my involvement?", he drawled, "I don't work for the fun of it, you know. And I hate doing anything for the damn fairies. So my price is high."

Teresa took a small bottle out of her bag and handed it to him.

"What's that?", Brittle asked, frowning.

"My blood", she said, "the reason why you agreed to see me."

A deep smile spread on the watcher's face. She was damn smart.

"Pixie blood", he whispered, "can heal wounds."

"Yes", she said, "and I trust you not to tell anyone."

"I won't", he said, putting the bottle away, "discretion has always been my policy. And don't worry, little pixie: I'll find your killer."

He vanished into the shadows.

And Teresa so hoped he was right.

xxMentalistxx

It was already dark when the door to her bedroom opened, and she didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Her skin tingled. Her whole being sensed its visitor.

"I needed to see you", he said,

"That's good", she whispered.

"Are you alright?"

"I am now."

She turned and looked at him. He wore a long yellow robe, tied at his waist. His eyes were glittering, as if a flame burned in their depths.

He approached her and enfolded her in his arms. His heart beat strong and calm beneath her ear.

"Fairies are monogamous, Teresa", he whispered, "We don't have sex just for fun. What about the pixies?"

"The same.", she murmured.

But it was worse: Pixies weren't serial monogamists like the fairies. Once a pixie had sex, it was mated for life. It couldn't find someone else if its lover died or just left. Which meant: if the king changed his mind about her, she would stay alone. For the rest of her days.

He diffused every thought when he bowed down and kissed her lips, brushing her rosy flesh with his tongue, begging for entrance. She opened her mouth and welcomed his tongue with sweet little licks of her own, making him moan with bliss.

He'd longed for her every second she hadn't been with him. Now that he knew she was his forever, his desire knew no boundaries.

He picked her up and all but threw her on the bed, discarding his robe in one fluid motion. She watched his body in silent fascination. He was so beautiful. Would she be able to bear his children?

He covered her body with his and made quick work of her clothes, the evidence of his arousal pressing against her thigh. He kissed her like a starving man, moaning sweetly while his mouth devoured her, the luscious swaps of his tongue teasing her into oblivion.

"Teresa…", he whispered, "I love you…so much…"

His words soothed her aching heart. He would stay, wouldn't he?

She kissed him back with all her might, sucking his taste into her system like a much-needed drug. His lips wandered down her throat, nipping gently at the soft skin before they slid lower, her nipples puckering under the relentless play of his tongue. He lapped at the soft skin of her abdomen, and Teresa closed her eyes with a desperate shudder.

His strong hands spread her legs, she was so tiny, so delicate, he touched her with utmost care. He would protect her with his life…nobody would take her from him.

He kissed her soft female flesh, groaning with pleasure when her sweet taste hit his taste buds. His hands gripped her legs harder, pulling her against his mouth, and when he pushed his tongue against the pulsating little nub hidden between her folds she felt the tremors of orgasm starting in her toes. They gripped her whole body, made her writhe beneath him while he pleasured her gently, prolonging the sensations piercing through her small frame, drinking every drop of her delicious nectar, humming with bliss.

He tore himself away from her, supporting his body on outstretched arms, pushing his hips between her thighs. She felt the pressure of his erection and trembled all over, crying out when he entered her still convulsing core. He slid home in a single thrust, her walls dilating to accommodate him, he threw back his head in pleasure.

She was so small that her head was hardly level with his throat, and she kissed the soft skin there when he started to thrust, rough, thorough strokes deep inside her, his hard ridge scraping her tender walls every time he plunged inside her. Her senses were still overloaded from the first climax, so it didn't take long for the fire to start anew, flames of ecstasy lapping at her until her skin felt wet and feverish, she felt him thrust harder, pounding into her, and she crashed over the edge, arching against him with an earth-shattering scream.

She could feel his frantic thrusts while she came over and over again, her sheath clutching him like a vise, and he didn't slow his movements, gave more and more, touching depths that begged for his attention.

She could feel him go rigid while her walls convulsed all around his manhood, his mouth falling open with a gasp before he tensed all over, and she felt the soothing sensation of his warm, balmy seed shooting into her clutching core. He buried his face against her hair while he rode the waves and she heard his strangled cries of lust.

He shuddered when the throes of orgasm ceased, and lifted his head to kiss her lips.

"Don't leave me", he whispered against her mouth, "I can't live without you."

"I won't.", she breathed, "I love you."

And for once, the whole world was wonderful and bright.

_Yes, for once. But unfortunately, this is no happy-peppy fairytale, it's time for some obstacles. Next chapters are a little bit angsty, but don't be afraid: all's well that ends well :D._

_I had a hard time writing the evil parts, I tend to suffer with my heroes._

_And, my dear readers, I'll leave the choice to you: do you want to read the four angsty chapters that follow now in one huge heap or only one every day? I'm ready to post all of them tomorrow if you don't want to suffer through a lengthy period of suspense- I can't stand that either. If you want to read everything tomorrow (until the sun shines again, at least for a while), that would mean a posting of four chapters at once._

_Please, tell me what you prefer!_


	14. Chapter 14

_Personally, I can understand anyone who can't handle cliffhangers…I hate them myself, and there are lots in those bunch of chapters that follow now, but since some of you prefer to read them one by one, I'll settle for a compromise and post two now (it's late afternoon here in Germany), two tomorrow morning- this way, you have to suffer from the cliffhanger only for half a day. And I promise: this is going to end well! It's tough to write Galvan- he's a class A asshole, and believe me: this isn't the last we've seen from him._

Dust

Chapter 14

Teresa was truly, deeply, earth-shatteringly happy, and she took it in strides, for she knew it couldn't last long.

Only two weeks after the king had confessed his love to her, Gandoli called her to the basement again. She knew what this meant. So she brought Cho with her.

"He's in on this?", Brittle asked warily.

Teresa nodded.

"You were right", Brittle said, "he's a Shadow."

"My god", Teresa gasped.

"You got proof?", Cho asked calmly.

Brittle watched him with sharp eyes. Measuring him thoughtfully. He trusted the little pixie. But fairies? He'd survived that long because he always knew whom to trust. And he'd survived his journey into the Shadowlands because off the smart pixie's blood.

He sized the dark-haired fairy up and nodded imperceptibly, pulling a small pouch from his pocket. He handed it to Cho, and he opened it immediately, carefully displaying the contents.

Teresa pressed a hand against her mouth to stifle a moan.

The pouch contained a bloody handkerchief, Faebar's seal stitched in golden thread square in the middle of the delicate, spattered cloth. Two golden initials were visible beneath it: A.J.- Angela Jane. Attached to the handkerchief was a glittering golden strand of silky-soft hair.

"His daughter's.", Cho stated calmly, but his hands trembled slightly.

"Where did you find those?", Teresa croaked hoarsely.

Brittle hesitated for a moment, looking at her. She was special, he'd known that from the first moment he'd seen her. Her blood had saved his life. No piece of cake for a watcher. There was a shimmer of happiness in her eyes, and it belonged there. But his news could destroy her world along with the king's.

"Inside the castle of the Shadow's king", Brittle whispered, "inside the private quarters of the prince. He has a shrine full of trophies. So many I couldn't count them. And he had this."

He gave her a massive golden ring, adorned with Faebar's crest.

"Milaro's signet ring", Cho said, "We have to tell the king immediately. This means war."

xxMentalistxx

"I will declare war", Jane spat, gritting his teeth against emotions so painful he felt like passing out, "right now! Cho, summon the councilors! I won't wait a second longer."

Teresa felt his agony as if it was her own. She desperately wanted to console him, hold him, but he brushed her hand off with an impatient gesture.

His face was determined, so cold. She shuddered.

"Go", he breathed, his lips trembling, "leave me alone. I don't want anybody near me right now."

Everything inside him screamed for her, but he couldn't think clearly through the images crashing into his mind- pictures of death and decay and so much spattered blood.

He whimpered under his breath when she left him. But the anger burned so hot in his veins, it drowned feelings and all the good things in his life.

He stood in the throne room all alone, his forehead against the cool wall. He closed his eyes and saw his daughters face, bloody and contorted in death. Rage grabbed him like an ice cold fist, and he screamed with a putrid mixture of anger and pain.

Galvan, who had hidden in a corner, approached him slowly, placing a firm hand on the king's shoulder.

"You must feel relieved, my king", he drawled, "your revenge is near- revenge for the death of your beautiful wife, your lovely daughter. You still remember their laughter, don't you? Their undying love for you. You were made for each other. They should have shared your life."

"Yes", Jane croaked, "Yes- they should be here. With me."

"But he took them. I bet the pictures haunt your dreams every night. Their battered corpses. Deformed by a monster who took everything from you. You were everything before he came and took it all. Nothing remains, my lord. Can you feel the nothing? Just revenge is still with you. It's all you can do for them. It's the least you can do!"

Desperation and fury crashed down on him like a solid wall. Leaving nothing but a bloody pulp of pain.

"You know – to get the bastard, we have to approach from the water." Galvan drawled, "We are exposed on the land. The giants can't operate in the dark. Trolls make a lot of noise. But when we come over the river, they won't see us until it's too late. The Shadows fear the water, they stay away from it. But as you know, we have no access to a river running into Shadowland."

"What- can we do, Galvan?", the king sobbed, "damn, I would do EVERYTHING…"

"We could take the Brelio", Galvan smiled.

"On Balima territory- our neighboring tribe would never give us access to their river just to help me get my revenge. They wouldn't want the Shadows as their enemies."

"Yes. But there's something they want more than peace with the Shadows- Faebar's gold. And to get it, they tried to make you marry their beautiful princess for years. Marry her- and their river is yours. Revenge is yours. For your queen, destroyed so young without you at her side to save her…your daughter- her lovely skin cut by a monster's knife."

Jane shuddered, the words stabbing his heart worse than any knife could.

"I would need to be faithful- to Balima's princess."

"Yes. And that means your little fling with the pixie would be over. But think about your revenge, my lord, your beautiful Angela, a queen worthy of your lordship in every way. Sweet Charlotte, your beloved daughter- can you still remember how they put her in your arms the day she was born? Aren't they your main responsibility? Aren't they in your heart any longer?"

Jane's heart clenched in sheer, unadulterated misery. He relived every single emotion…the dread he'd felt when he'd opened the door to his wife's quarters. The incomprehensible, screaming pain he'd felt when he'd seen what this sadist had done to his precious family, the two people he loved beyond comparison.

"Yes", he rasped, red clouds forming in front of his eyes, "yes, they are my only responsibility."

"There's one other thing- the pixie is jealous and mean. If she learns about your plan, she will try to prevent you from marrying just to keep you for herself. She would endanger your vengeance without flinching- for her own sake, my lord. She would take your revenge from you- spit on the graves of your wonderful queen and the sweet princess she gave you. So don't tell the worthless bitch about your strategy. Just say you love princess Erica- and not her."

Jane nodded slowly, almost in trance.

"Contact the Balima", he breathed, "I'm going to marry their princess. And I`m going to tell the chief advisor right now."

_Next chapter up- damn, I'm sorry for all the heartbreak I'm causing you, but it CAN'T be helped now…_


	15. Chapter 15

_Brrrrr. This chapter is….worse than the last one. Be brave, tomorrow I'll resolve the whole matter!_

_Short explanation: I chose Erica Flynn (from "Every Rose Has It's Thorn") as the Balima's princess, because I just couldn't bring myself to have Lisbon describe Kristina Frye in terms of beauty- no way. I gave Flynn long hair, though, to fit the fairies' style :D._

Dust

Chapter 15

He found her in her quarters. She turned and smiled at him, and suddenly he hurt everywhere. She was so beautiful, ethereal in her lightness, so soft and brave at the same time. His soul cried out for her.

But this couldn't be helped. His family needed him now, and she endangered everything he'd fought for- revenge was so close now. Teresa Lisbon had just become collateral damage.

"I'm here to inform you", he started, his voice calm and cold, "that I'm going to marry the princess of our neighboring tribe, the Balima. I've loved her for a long time, but she refused to become my queen until now. Now that she's mine…" he swallowed dryly, "…I need you out of my life. There is no way I won't be faithful to my precious wife. And you were just a convenient pastime."

Teresa was numb with shock. Her insides dissolved into a quivering mass of pain. She'd never felt something like this. It was like the icy hand of death digging for her heart. Breaking her ribs one by one.

"You said you would love me", she breathed, "How did I lose your heart?"

His throat hurt so much he longed to claw it out with his own hands. But his voice was cool and unmoving when he spoke.

"My heart was never yours to lose, Teresa. I lured you into my bed with pretty lies- nothing more. How could you believe I would ever love a low pixie." His words hurt her like the cuts of a sword, she wanted to cringe, but stayed upright with all her might." I'm the fairies' king. I will take my place at my queen's side, my life mate. And you are excluded from the council, effective immediately."

"What?", she whispered, "Why, my lord? What have I done?"

"You might mess with my people out of sheer jealousy", he said drily, "I can't risk that."

"That's what you think of me?", Teresa sobbed. He felt her tears like acid on his skin. "You believe I would endanger your people because I'm jealous? What happened, Jane? You trusted me."

"That's over. You have no office any longer. But you can't go , either."

"Than what am I? A prisoner?"

"You could call it that, yes. You know too many of our secrets. You are not allowed to leave fairy territory."

He turned and stormed out of the room. Hoping she couldn't see how hard his hands trembled. Hoping she couldn't see the hot tears streaming down his face. Hoping she'd never know that he was truly dead now, without her, his revenge the only thing between him and his grave.

xxMentalistxx

She sat on the stairs, far above the dancing, chattering crowd, hidden in the shadows. Her face streaked with tears.

Everybody had come to hear their beloved king announce his engagement to Princess Erica Flynn. Everyone felt elated to finally get a worthy queen. A true princess. Beautiful fairies in colorful, delicate dresses, swirling to the music. It was a day for joy and laughter. Nobody had eyes for a low pixie.

The king entered the hall, his princess at his arm. Teresa looked at her and froze. She was perfect. A pale, elegant face, framed by long, dark, wavy tresses. Brown, almond-shaped eyes. Luscious, cherry-red lips. She laughed charmingly at something Jane whispered in her ear, and he smiled his megawatt smile at her.

That was the moment Teresa's heart shattered into a million pieces, and she knew that her life was over.

She escaped through the small door on top of the stairs and wandered aimlessly through the dark hallways for a while.

She startled when a pale servant appeared in front of her.

"Councilor", he said, "I shall give you this message."

She took the piece of paper he handed her and nodded in thanks. She read the message as soon as he was gone. Written in Tesvar, the code of the trolls.

It said: "Come to the troll settlement now. The Shadows are planning an ambush. The king's life is in danger."

xxMentalistxx

She ran as fast as she could, the cool air hitting her face, inky darkness all around her.

Van Pelt expected her when she entered the village. One look into her eyes told Teresa she knew everything. Hell, the whole continent had learned about the king's marriage with the breathtaking princess by now. No surprise there.

"He did bang you, didn't he?", the beautiful troll said with a humorless smile.

"Yes, he did", Teresa said, not blushing for once.

"Was it good?"

Teresa nodded, fighting back the pain. She wanted only determination.

"Yes", she whispered, "it was."

"You still want to save the bastard's life?", the redheaded commander growled.

"Yes.", Teresa said firmly.

"Then follow me", van Pelt nodded and turned to lead the way.

xxMentalistxx

"They must be at the dwarf's settlement now-", van Pelt stated, leaning back in her chair," the watch patrol told me as much. They will reach Faringol tomorrow night. I have no idea how they plan to manage getting their dirty paws on the king. But I know the route they are taking."

"What do you plan?", Teresa asked softly.

"We take them out tomorrow, in broad daylight, at the dwarf's settlement. You and me will develop the strategy for the attack. They don't know we are aware of their plans. We learned about them by coincidence- from a watcher called Brittle. He says he has a friend inside the castle. Any guesses whom he is referring to?"

"No idea. Tell me when you start your attack, I'm in."

There were some minutes of tense silence.

"Forget it.", van Pelt snarled eventually," You're a tiny girl, Teresa. Damn tough little girl, but tiny nonetheless. I like you. A battle between trolls and Shadows? You'll get badly injured for sure. I can't risk that."

"That's not your choice to make, van Pelt.", Teresa said firmly," I will fight at your side. As long as I'm able to. I'll do what I can to help you."

Van Pelt looked at her intently.

"Guess what, Teresa? Since I know you, I tried to find out more about you pixies. And I finally met someone who has information: the giant who collects the mail in pixie country. Seems there's a woman among your charming little population who talks to him on occasion. He told me pixies usually heal themselves if they get hurt, but they can die- if they are heavily injured and don't want to live anymore…those two facts come together, goodbye, pixie. Ring a bell, Lisbon?"

Teresa averted her gaze for a moment, swallowing. Then she looked van Pelt directly in the eye, unwavering.

"My race is monogamous,", she said softly," that means I'm bonded to Jane for life, my love belongs to him alone. For eternity. What do you expect me to do? Watch him live happily ever after with his beautiful queen, while I'm excluded from every aspect of his life because he fears my jealousy? Is that what I should do in your opinion, van Pelt?"

The commander watched her for a long time.

"We attack tomorrow noon. Be at the dwarf's village if you want to fight among us, pixie."

_Okay….tomorrow you'll see the light. I have a very bad conscience now, but: it's just fiction! I hope you sleep well. The next two chapters are up TOMORROW! I swear!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Okay…next chapter, things improve considerably. Thanks for your reviews! And all the alerts!_

Dust

Chapter 16

The sun was in zenith when she found the trolls the next day.

Van Pelt nodded at her, her expression grim. She extended her hand towards the dwarf's settlement.

"Do you see it?", she growled.

Yes, Teresa could see it. A faint column of smoke behind a small hill. The information had been solid. Her tongue tasted like lead- the time had come. She'd sneaked out of the castle without a problem. Rigsby had looked at her with utter sadness in his eyes, and she'd barely resisted the urge to hug him. But she couldn't risk to get him suspicious. The king hadn't locked her in for the time being, but there wasn't a guarantee that he wouldn't do it. So it was good to act now.

Van Pelt handed her an enormous knife, like a machete.

"Can you carry it?", the redhead asked.

Teresa lifted the deadly instrument and nodded gravely. She wasn't as weak as she looked.

"Sever their heads at the neck", van Pelt muttered, "they bleed copiously, then evaporate to dust. I don't know how many there are, and we only have an hour. Take out as many as you can."

She paused a moment.

"He's an idiot", she said softly, "you'll be missed."

Teresa nodded imperceptibly, willing back the tears. She wouldn't think about him and just die.

"Let's go.", she said firmly.

xxMentalistxx

The fight was short and vicious.

Ten minutes into the battle, Teresa's clothes stuck to her skin, saturated with blood, she'd been cut in innumerable places, had taken a bullet to her shoulder and killed several of the Shadows though she could barely reach their necks. The trolls made quick work, attacking ruthlessly and efficiently. No one escaped their utterly effective warfare.

Teresa turned and looked into the eye of a growling Shadow, lifted the machete and tried to get close enough to strike, when her opponent raised a gun. Teresa watched the black eye of the muzzle and froze. All sound ceased around her when the bullets exploded. The impact in her chest felt like the burning path of an arrow, blasting through skin, muscle, barely missing her heart. But she knew that with this injury, it was her decision now to end it. Yes, Teresa thought, I'm ready, and her last thought reached out to her king.

Then, mercifully, everything went black.

xxMentalistxx

Jane felt so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open. He'd been planning the marriage ceremony for hours now, Galvan talked about all the beauty, the priceless spectacle with every passion he could muster, as if he wanted to sell something.

Cho looked at the king with deep concern edged into his features. Jane looked ready to collapse. So wrapped up in grief and desperation that no one could reach him. He hadn't talked to anyone in a while, just retreated into his own little world, but suffering so profoundly Cho couldn't overlook it.

And the worst: the chief advisor wasn't present, and Jane hadn't offered any explanation. But his instincts told Cho that something was very wrong here. He had sensed something between the courageous pixie and his king- something he had thought lost, and hope had spread in his heart, hope for his master, who hadn't truly lived in a decade.

But now he married out of the blue, and Cho could swear there was nothing between the charming, but cold princess and Jane, who only seemed devastated, sad and woebegone.

And Galvan was happy. Cho had reason to mistrust anything the mean bastard was involved in.

A certain commotion could be heard from the hallway, Rigsby screamed a scream of utter despair, and the door crashed open.

Van Pelt, spattered with blood, carried Teresa's lifeless body into the throne room and placed her gently at the feet of the king.

"She's not dead yet, my lord", the commander snarled, "but she will be soon. She died serving you. Killing your enemies like the best of the trolls. Be proud to have known her-you miserable shithead."

Then she turned and left, followed by her officers.

Jane's world collapsed into a pile of debris. He didn't even feel the tears streaming down his face, his skin was numb. He sank to his knees, gathered her frail body into his arms and wailed so loud, so desperate, the birds scattered from the trees all around the castle.

Rigsby stood in the doorframe, crying silently.

He raced to get the healer without orders, because the king couldn't speak.

xxMentalistxx

"My lord, we can't help her", the healer said softly to the horribly shaken figure in front of him, "I know nothing about pixie anatomy. The bullets have miraculously left her body- the wounds are almost healed. But from everything I know, she's dying. Her condition gets worse. And I can't do anything."

"We have to do something", the king croaked, "we can't let her die. She's my chief advisor. The kingdom is lost without her. I'm lost without her. Please, help her."

"My only advice for you is this", the healer muttered, "let her go, my lord. We can't do anything here. She will die."

Jane shook his head, the tears flowing freely again.

"No", he sobbed," I can't lose her- I can't. Somebody has to know what's happening to her."

A calm, firm voice sounded over the soft chatter of the gathered crowd.

"I know who might know."

The king turned and saw a watcher, leaning against the doorframe. Staring at him.

"You might want to pay the trolls a visit", Brittle said, "van Pelt might have additional information she forgot to tell you."

xxMentalistxx

Van Pelt sat in her chair, her giant desk framed by vicious-looking watchmen. Torches cast a soft glow on her elegant features.

"Why should I tell you?", she snarled.

Jane leant slightly forward.

"I'm your king, van Pelt", he growled threateningly, "do you honestly want to betray me?"

The commander pursed her lips.

"Okay", she said after long minutes of tense silence, "there's nothing you can do anyway. She's committing suicide, Jane. Extinguishes the light of her life with a moist thumb. Pixies can do that, remarkable little buggers."

Jane swallowed. He didn't need to ask why the wonderful, brave little pixie didn't want to live anymore.

"Do you know that she wouldn't have been able to spread her legs for another creature - ever?", van Pelt drawled, "Pretty scary concept for a troll, I can assure you. Yes, the pixies are taking monogamy to a whole new level. I can understand why she didn't want to face this. Watching you flirting with this cold bitch Erica, knowing you shove your privates into her…I guess poor little Teresa might be better off wherever she'll be going in a while."

Jane heard the bitterness in the redhead's voice, and he couldn't say anything. She was right. He'd been ready to betray true love for the sake of vengeance, had kicked his own monogamous feelings aside to accomplish a mission that would inevitably fail to get his family back. They were gone. And he had just killed his future.

He got up and left without another word. There was nothing left to say.

_Next chapter is up already! Don't forget to tell me what you think, please!_


	17. Chapter 17

_Comfort is near!_

Dust

Chapter 17

He knew everything would end if he couldn't save her. Was this worth it?

He couldn't live without her. Not being with her had almost killed him, every second had felt like an eternity. He felt nothing for the princess, his faithful soul was bonded to his beautiful, courageous little pixie irrevocably, love so strong it was a physical force. Without her, he would fade away.

Jane was paralyzed with a pain that hurt so much it felt like dying. His insides ached, his lost heart burning with agony. Tears streamed over his face, hot rivulets of utter despair, sobs torn from his throat that made him shudder all over.

He lifted his deceased queen's bloody handkerchief.

"Forgive me, Angela", he whispered hoarsely, "forgive me, my love. But if I have to choose between revenge and her- I choose her."

He stormed into Teresa's quarters, where several members of the council and the medical staff were gathered.

"Everyone out!" he exclaimed.

"But, your highness", the healer cried out, "somebody has to…"

"Out!", the king yelled, "I want everyone to leave this room- now!"

The fairies bowed deep and shoved the protesting healer out of the door. Silence settled over the room.

Jane looked at Teresa's quiet form and started to undress. When he was completely naked, he slipped between the sheets, pulling his dying lover close.

"Teresa", he whispered, tears clouding his voice, "I know you don't want to live because I betrayed you. But please- you have to fight. I promise I won't leave you- ever. I will love you to the end of my days. I will die if you go, love. Please- fight for me. Protect your king like you've sworn you would. I need you."

And he cried for hours, cradling her in his arms, wetting her hair with his hot tears.

His body-warmth flowed into her icy limbs.

And when the sun went up at the hour of the light, Teresa opened her eyes.

xxMentalistxx

The king cried so hard he couldn't talk for a while. His hands, shaking from the adrenaline coursing through his body, couldn't stop touching her, roughly tracing her warming skin, needing to feel that she was alive, that she'd come back.

His tears dripped onto her face and he kissed them away, whispering to her in the ancient fairy tongue, knowing she would understand the words.

"Forgive me", he breathed, "forgive me, for I was the worst of fools. You saved my worthless life by coming back to me. I love you, Teresa Lisbon, and there's nothing and nobody in the world I love as much."

She couldn't answer him, her mouth felt as if she'd chewed on cotton, but his hands felt good everywhere, they soothed the pain that had almost suffocated her, and she closed her eyes and let him kiss her, his lips shaking beneath his, and his body was so hot against hers, she felt every inch like the imprint of a slap, his fairy dust prickling on her skin, blowing life into her system.

Jane deepened his touch, though he knew he shouldn't do it, knew he should spare her any strain, but his body needed close contact, needed to make sure she was still there, having almost starved from loss.

His kisses grew more urgent, but he forced himself to go slow when she whimpered softly.

But it was her who spread her legs when he move to cover her with his body, and he simply couldn't resist, sobbing when he slipped inside her, so gentle and slow his abdominal muscles tensed with the effort.

Teresa arched softly, and he took some time to soothe her, pushing deeper with tiny, controlled movements of his hips, until he was finally, blissfully embedded inside her soft body to the hilt.

"I swear", he whispered, "I will love you forever."

She nodded slightly, her lips parted, kissing him back when he claimed them with his.

And he took her with soft, rocking motions, until their world exploded into a cloud of blinding light all around them and the sensations felt as if they'd melted into one single being.

xxMentalistxx

"But my lord!", Galvan cried out, "You can't just call the marriage off!"

"I can, Galvan", the king said matter-of-factly, "I am already married."

He turned and looked at Teresa, who stood directly at his back. She was still pale. But very much alive.

He faced the council again.

"I would never have been able to touch the princess", he stated, "monogamy would have prevented it. My heart always knew that it belonged elsewhere."

"But the war!" Galvan whined.

"We have to find a possibility to attack from the land", Jane said, studying the huge map on the table in front of him, "I know we'll be at a disadvantage- it would be better to attack from a river. But since we don't have access to one we just have to…"

"Wait!", Teresa interrupted.

Everybody stared at her.

She stepped forward, taking her chair at the king's side.

"Why don't you have access to a river?", she asked.

"There's no river in our territory that leads into the Shadowlands.", Jane said, "Only Balima has one."

He saw the revelation in his lover's eyes.

"That's why you were willing to marry the princess", Teresa whispered, "for your vengeance."

"Yes", the king breathed, "but I chose you."

She looked at him. She loved him. Loved him far more than her own life. Her gaze wandered over his warm, sea-green eyes, the full, pale lips. His unruly blond curls. Yes, she loved him.

"What if I can give you both?", she murmured.

Jane straightened and stared at her.

"What?", he asked.

"The Lavoulin", she said, "in the south of pixie territory. Leads directly to the Shadowlands' capital. I read the books in your library. The Shadows turn a blind eye on the river, pretend it's not there. They need its power, and fear its closeness. They won't see us coming until it's too late."

"The pixies will never give us access to their river", Jane shook his head, "they hate the fairies- you said so yourself."

"Yes", Teresa said, "and that's our advantage. It is highly unlikely that the Shadows have realized that I'm a pixie. And they might guess that the pixies hate the fairies- hell, they're rumored to hate everybody, and why should they avoid contact to other races with such vehemence if they didn't? So the Shadows should have no idea that we have access to the Lavoulin."

"We don't have access, Teresa", Jane sighed, "To gain it, we would need amicable contact to the highest authority in the utterly hostile pixie society- its king. Do you have this kind of relations, my love? Do you even know the pixie king?"

Teresa touched the pendant she wore around her neck.

"I do", she said softly, "I'm his daughter."

_Next chapter will be up tomorrow- give me feedback, I'm in dire need of a little encouragement- what do you think?_


	18. Chapter 18

_Thanks for your feedback, my faithful readership! Let's see what happens next in fairy kingdom…._

Dust

Chapter 18

"Your highness," Teresa growled, " would you please take your head out of wherever you stick it these days and think for a change?"

Jane chuckled.

"You, my dear, spend way too much time with van Pelt."

"She's right, dammit!", the pixie shouted," The 'we storm in and get him out'-tactic won't get us anywhere, and you know it."

The king got serious, a sad look creeping into his eyes.

"Sorry-", he murmured, " I have a hard time thinking rationally in these matters."

"I know-", Teresa said softly, putting her hand on his arm," that's why you have advisors, so let us advise."

He smiled.

"I hope not every pixie kicks ass like you do."

"Scared?", she quipped, grinning.

His smile deepened.

"Shitless."

"The men are cynical, grumpy old goats.", Teresa sighed," But the women are soft and compliant. Like fairies. You might like them."

"I like you.", he breathed.

"Odd tastes, huh?", she said, but she could feel the blush taking its usual place on her cheeks.

"No. Just exclusive.", he whispered, letting his fingers slide up her arm.

Van Pelt rolled her eyes.

"Can you lovebirds interrupt the foreplay and come back to the matters at hand, please?", she snarled, " I get all sticky from your goo-goo."

"Okay", Jane chuckled, "you're right. So if we don't storm in and punch him out of his rat hole, then how do we do it?"

"We go in over the Lavoulin", van Pelt said, "and act according to how they receive us. Two possibilities, two strategies: number one, nobody sees us coming. We land close to the capital, creep in through the backdoor, kill everyone we can."

"This scenario is highly unlikely", Teresa muttered, "since we took out their ambush and declared war to them. They will know that we'll hit sometime soon and watch their surroundings closely."

"Yes", the redhead nodded, "which means, although the assholes probably have no idea that we might have access to pixie territory, possibility two is what most likely will happen: they see us approach, try to keep us away from their capital and their precious killer prince, and the battle takes place close to the river. That's what we should prepare for."

"But someone has to get into the castle", Jane said thoughtfully, "to get Red John. Abduct him. Let me do it. I shouldn't risk anybody's life to assist me in my revenge. I'll go in."

"Yes, sure," Teresa groaned, "because you're famous for your logical thinking when it comes to Red John and are the one person the fairies could easily do without, huh? By the way, how's your night vision? Poor? Why am I not surprised…"

"We all know who the fuck is best equipped to go into the bastard's lair…", van Pelt sighed.

"…yes", Teresa said firmly, "and I'm ready to go."

"So am I", van Pelt chuckled, "so it's a deal- us girls will be sorting out the mess again."

"No!", the king interrupted, "Teresa isn't a soldier- and I won't allow her to put her life in jeopardy for me!"

"Pixies are almost impossible to kill, my lord", Teresa said softly, "I can heal myself when I'm wounded."

"You almost died on me once", he whispered.

"Because I wanted to. I don't want to now."

He framed her face with his hands and kissed her softly.

"Don't leave me, Teresa", he breathed against her lips, "or I will die from the loss."

Van Pelt coughed.

"Okay", she groaned, "that's settled then. I just need to talk fucking Pyrus into taking command while I'm at the creepy sadist's castle."

"You mean 'talking' literally?", Jane chuckled.

"No", van Pelt drawled, stretching languidly in her chair, "but 'fucking'."

xxMentalistxx

"Now there's only one thing left to do", Jane whispered into Teresa's ear, wrapping his arms around her naked body from behind, engulfing her small frame completely.

"Meet the parents, huh?", Teresa chuckled, gasping when his hands started to wander over her skin.

"Exactly", he sighed, "you think they'll like me?"

"I know they'll hate you."

"Well, that is encouraging…"

She turned in his arms, shuddering when her naked belly brushed his erection.

"Maybe my mother will be nice to you", she whispered, showering his chest with kisses, "she's slightly more adventurous than the average pixie and she did send the letter of application, by the way."

"I should be forever grateful to her, then", he breathed, bowing down to kiss her. So much sweetness oozing from his soft lips, she moaned in delight.

"The rest of the female population will probably hide from you the second we enter the village.", she chuckled.

"Oh", he smiled, "I'm that scary, huh? Maybe I should show you how scary I really am, then…"

"Do your worst, my king…"

And those were the last words spoken for a long time.

xxMentalistxx

The troops formed at Faebar's port, located on the banks of the Eprano, the tribe's river running directly into the Lavoulin. Three huge battleships had been prepared for weeks now, protected by several layers of fairy dust, glittering in the morning sun.

King Jane, van Pelt and Teresa were on the bridge of the biggest one, the "Sunburst", studying a huge map.

"Here's the Lavoulin", van Pelt showed them, "and here's the farthest point we can go to without the pixies' allowance. Otherwise we risk another war, and we have no idea how much firepower those buggers can summon…no disrespect meant, Teresa."

"I know", Teresa shrugged, "I wouldn't risk a war if I were you, though. The pixies tend to have some tricks up their sleeves. And- they are my family."

"Of course", Jane said firmly, "we won't risk a war. We travel as close as possible, then Teresa and I head farther north to meet her parents. Maybe some of the councilors should accompany us- it's an official visit. And we are taking Rigsby, just to be sure and to spare Teresa the walk."

"That's not necessary", she growled, "I can possibly run faster than you fly!"

"Humor me", he said, smiling, "I just love to spoil you senseless."

She stuck her tongue out at him, but her tender smile warmed his heart. He was so lucky to have her at his side. He could kick his own butt for his stupidity, though- he'd almost lost her , had thrown her precious love away…right now, he couldn't even comprehend how in hell he'd been able to do something like this. He shuddered when he remembered the moment her battered body had been placed at his feet. He couldn't face something like this again, ever.

When the ships took off from the port he stood at the window of his private quarters, looking out at the glittering city. The sounds emanating from the two minor battleships, the "Stargazer" and the "Dreamcatcher", were deafening. No surprise there- the troll troops were on those ships, while the "Sunburst" was mainly staffed with fairies who were delicate and blissfully silent.

Jane watched the buzzing streets of Faringol with a sad heart, remembering everything he'd shared with his wife and daughter. After almost losing Teresa, he'd finally understood that they wouldn't be coming back. That he couldn't make everything alright. But his revenge was no matter of choice. Red John had to be executed, wiped from the face of the continent. Until that was accomplished, his life couldn't go on.

Teresa approached him slowly, putting a careful hand on his shoulder, sensing the direction of his thoughts. He pulled her into his arms, needing to reassure her. The place at his side was hers now, and that wouldn't change.

"We'll get him, won't we?", he asked softly.

"Yes", she growled under her breath, "we'll get the miserable bastard. He won't kill again."

_Wishful thinking, I know- I have hoped that Patrick Jane wouldn't kill Red John. Because I honestly think it doesn't change much. But somehow, I can understand that he couldn't let Red John walk in the situation Bruno Heller put him into in the season's finale. Here, the situation is different: maybe there's a chance that Jane himself can bring red John to justice without becoming a murderer. Forgoing his personal revenge out of love- yes, my sappy heart likes that._

_Please, leave feedback. And believe me: the thrill isn't over yet!_


	19. Chapter 19

_Thanks for your reviews and alerts again- it's a pleasure to write for you! I'm glad to tell you that "Dust" is finished and will have 28 chapters and an epilogue. So you'll get one chapter every day, and they won't stop coming until the conclusion!_

Dust

Chapter 19

The king found that he had to keep Teresa close by for his own sake. He got nervous and cranky whenever she wasn't near him. She soothed the parts of him that couldn't think beyond seeking revenge, never failed to make him see reason.

And he enjoyed how much she craved his touch.

The journey was progressing nicely, the weather was excellent, and no wind was needed since the ships were driven by the relentless power of the fairies' dust. So it hardly took them a day to reach the orifice of the Lavoulin, much broader than any river running through fairy territory, glittering in the afternoon sun.

Rigsby, who had walked alongside the king's ship all the time, nodded to his master and extended his hand to the little pixie next to him. Teresa climbed onto his palm.

Jane turned to van Pelt.

"I take Cho and Galvan with us. Try to control the troops while we're gone, please", he growled, "no matter how you manage to do this- do it!"

The commander pushed her tongue into her cheek.

"Don't worry", she drawled, "we'll have us some fun- just make sure your fairies have something to protect them from the noise…can your funny dust plug ears?"

Jane groaned in exasperation, but he willed his wings to appear and took off, Cho and Galvan following him.

Rigsby lifted Teresa to his shoulder and followed the king.

They walked over an endless stretch of plain green land, the vastness hardly ever disturbed by a tree, Jane wasn't used to so much loneliness. Some hours into the journey he realized just how reclusive the pixies really were. He sat down next to Teresa on the giant's shoulder and took her hand.

"Have the pixies some kind of capital?", he said, "anything with a little bit of life in it?"

She chuckled.

"No", she said, "we live in simple little cottages, on one single clearing in the middle of the deepest forest you can imagine- deeper even than Darkwood. Even my father lives in a tiny hut and chops his own wood. The fact that he rules the fate of his people doesn't make him desire anything more."

He looked at her in silence for a moment.

"You love him, don't you?", he said softly, tucking the dark green strand behind her ear.

"Yes, I do", she whispered, "and it took a while for me to find out. He's not an easy guy. But he has a good heart. And he truly cares about me."

Jane nodded.

"I'll behave.", he said.

She looked doubtful.

"Oh come on, Teresa", he said, "don't tell me you don't believe me… after all we've been through…"

Damn, the guy got anything he wanted with that smile, didn't he?

"Just let me say one thing, my lord", she stated, "you better don't talk to pixies the way you talk to trolls!"

"Oh, is that you talking, Ms. Four-Letter-Word?", he quipped.

"Believe me", she growled, "if my father knew how I talk on occasion, he would be the first to wash my mouth with soap …"

Jane laughed heartily, throwing his head back. And damn, she so loved his laughter.

xxMentalistxx

Damn, how he hated to see those two together.

Roderick Galvan couldn't believe that his original plan had backfired- he had spent years to model the king's thirst for revenge into an invincible force, and just when he was about to gain the highest post in the kingdom, the damn fool fell in love…how sappy.

The little pixie had fought her way into Jane's heart so thoroughly that he had dared to choose her over the vengeance he was seeking for a decade.

Galvan had never thought that possible.

Now there was only one way to get rid of the green little scum- and he was on his way to the one place where he could learn how to solve his problem forever…

xxMentalistxx

Rigsby eyed the dense wood suspiciously.

"Don't worry, Rigsby", Jane said, smiling, "you just stay here- the rest we can manage alone."

"Are you sure, your highness?", the giant asked, but his relief was palpable.

"Absolutely", Jane said cheerfully, "Just start a fire if it gets too dark."

Rigsby nodded and sat down, leaning against a tree who was creaking slightly under his weight.

The king took Teresa's and Cho's hands, who in turn grabbed Galvan's, and they marched into the gloomy forest.

When the darkness closed in on them, Jane noticed that Teresa's eyes almost glowed in the dark. He could hardly see anything, but the little pixie led them through the labyrinth of trunks and underbrush without difficulties.

"Night vision", she said, "one of the more convenient parts of my genetic menu."

He chuckled and followed her without reservations, pulling his two other advisor's with him. He was glad to meet Teresa's parents, in fact. After all the weeks he had spent with her, he was more intent than ever to make her his queen- as soon as possible. Life without her was no possibility anymore- he would honor the bond between them. Forever. He squeezed her hand and could almost sense her smile.

It took them quite a while to reach the clearing, and finally the fairies were able to see again- the stars had come out, and a full moon illuminated the scenery in front of them with its pale light. Torches were burning around a circular market right in the middle of the village.

And there stood an assembly of pixies, facing them with grim expressions.

But the man in front, a dark-haired little guy with dark hair and a beard that would make a dwarf envious, smiled and spread his arms.

"Teresa!", he exclaimed, "I'm so glad to see you, my child!"

Teresa smiled and ran into her father's arms. Jane couldn't help it- he started to grin, though he felt utterly nervous. When he had finished hugging Teresa (he seemed like a warm guy from a distance) and sent her on her way to meet her mother (who was in hiding like every decent pixie woman), the pixie king turned to his visitors.

Jane straightened. He was a king after all, and he wouldn't bow to no one, no matter how much he wanted to be on friendly terms with his bride's people.

Angus nodded briskly at him.

"So you are the fairy king who took my child away?", he growled.

"No", Jane stated calmly, "she came to me of her own free will. And it is her own wish to become my queen."

Angus' eyebrows rose in surprise. He got a grip only seconds later.

"I want a word with you", he snarled, a deep scowl on his face, "in private."

Jane nodded, and was led into a hut so small he had to bend down slightly to pass the door. Some kind of office, obviously the pixie version of a throne room. What an enormous difference to his own castle.

Angus inclined his head towards a chair in front of his desk, and Jane sat down with a nod.

"Fairies are not known to be chaste prudes", the pixie king said, "so I guess this…relationship- and god help you, I hope you will call it love in a minute- between you and my daughter has already been consummated."

Jane sighed- Oh yeah, he was super comfortable with the direction this little talk was taking.

"Yes", he answered firmly, "that's true."

He wouldn't apologize. And he certainly wouldn't tell this hostile pixie that he'd almost broken his daughter's heart- his chest constricted with painful feelings at the thought. Yes, he'd fucked up big time. And he was a lucky fool that she still wanted him.

Angus groaned and put his glasses down, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"How is this supposed to work out-", he asked eventually," a marriage between a fairy and a pixie?"

"We are…physically compatible, if you mean that."

Angus crossed his arms over his chest.

"Can you breed?"

Jane stared at him in horror.

"What?", he asked incredulously.

"Will you be able to breed with my daughter?"

"I heard you the first time!", Jane sputtered," I…I don't know! There are hardly any…experienced data on this, are there?"

Angus narrowed his eyes at him.

"Can you breed with trolls?"

Jane bit his lip.

"No.", he growled.

"What about dwarfs?"

Jane looked down. Shook his head softly.

"I don't need to ask about giants, so…pretty much the only race you can procreate with, are fairies. And I don't need to mention, that except with the giants, you are physically compatible, as you so nicely put it, with all those creatures. So what makes you think that you will be able to sire a child with my daughter? Just because she looks like a somehow smaller fairy doesn't mean she can't have a genetic structure that's completely different from yours."

"I didn't bond with her because I require her to carry my children!", Jane cried out, "I love her- more than my life!"

"How generous of you! ", Angus snorted, "And what about my daughter? Have you ever thought about her? What if she would like to have children, and then finds out that you can't give her any?"

Jane was dumbfounded and couldn't say anything for a moment. During all those excitement and pain and hurt feelings- he hadn't once thought about that.

When he met with Cho and Galvan and pled his case to the pixie council, his thoughts were partly occupied- what if he couldn't give her a child? Would she still want him then?

_It's the quiet before the storm at the moment, as you might have noticed…before the rather packed finale comes. Please, review!_


	20. Chapter 20

_Since I posted so late yesterday, I'll upload two chapters for today…thanks for the kind reviews! I'm very glad you're still ready to read this!_

Dust

Chapter 20

"Mother", Teresa croaked, "you're suffocating me!"

But she smiled when Elisabeth released her and Teresa saw the tears in her eyes.

"Hey", she said, "I missed you, too."

"Teresa", Elisabeth sniffed, "you look- good. And so happy."

"I am, you know", Teresa whispered, "okay, there's an ugly war coming our way- but I'm full of hope. We'll come through the whole mess with raised heads, I'm sure."

"Oh my god", her mother said, "are you- are you sure you have to do this?"

"Yes", Teresa nodded, "the killer we're searching for- he has to die. There's no other way. I won't find peace until he's gone. For the king won't find it, either."

Revelation dawned in her mother's eyes. And somehow she'd guessed all along that her strong, independent child wouldn't be coming back- that she wouldn't return to be a model pixie donning an apron. But the truth hurt nonetheless, now she saw it in Teresa's eyes.

"I knew this could happen", she whispered, "Teresa, my child- are you sure about this?"

"I am", her daughter said firmly, "100% sure."

"So you're bonded already."

Teresa pushed her hands in her pants pocket and nodded.

"Looks that way."

xxMentalistxx

She found the king brooding at the edge of the clearing, sitting on a fallen tree, chin pushed into his hand. He didn't look too happy, but rather confused.

"Hey", she said, "My father's been messing with you?"

"Not really", Jane muttered, "he just pointed some facts out to me- and I can't deny he's right."

"Which facts?"

He looked at her, his gaze wandering over her face, touching every spot he loved so much. Her huge eyes. The small nose. Her full lips, made to pout and be kissed- by him. Losing her would be a blow he couldn't survive.

"What about children, my love?", he whispered, "I never planned on falling in love again. I was ready to be alone for the rest of my days. So I don't have a problem if we can't have children. But what about you?"

"Why shouldn't we have children?", she said softly, brushing his lips with her thumb.

He felt so good everywhere, the brief contact made her shudder. She was ready to go anywhere with him, suffer anything just to see him laugh again. No matter what fate threw their way- she would stand by his side.

"Your father could be right", he answered, sadness lurking in the depths of his green eyes," Fairies aren't able to breed with trolls or dwarfs- there is a chance…that they can't with pixies either. Maybe the chance isn't even small."

"I don't care."

"What?"

"I don't care, Jane", Teresa repeated, "so maybe we won't have children. That doesn't change anything. I'm here, and I stay. I love you. And I will do so if my life ends. Which it possibly won't, so…you're stuck with me for quite a while, fairy king."

He smiled, but got serious fast.

"What have I done to deserve…"

"Awww, cut the sappy crap, will you", Teresa drawled, "aren't we here to gain access to a river?"

"Sorry that I dared to express my feelings…", Jane chuckled.

"Yes, I know", Teresa grinned, "I think you're cute, too. What about the river?"

"I asked him-your father will announce his decision tomorrow."

"Darn, the stubborn old mule.", Teresa growled," He knows full well he won't say no anyway. But no, he has to play the drama queen…"

"He won't say no?", Jane grinned.

"No way."

"Well", the king said softly, "THAT is encouraging…"

xxMentalistxx

Angus gave a little party for his daughter and the strange guests, and Jane found out that the pixies weren't as hostile once the ice had thawed.

When the fires were dying down, the king's mouth was dry from answering questions all the time- everybody was curious to learn more, and Jane provided information with a friendly smile.

He felt on top of his game again, able to read the pixies easily, and he saw fear beneath their defiance. The pixies were gentle, soft beings, and he involuntarily asked himself how good they would be able to defend themselves when the chips came down. He knew his hard-assed bride knew how to shoot, but she wasn't exactly like your exemplar pixie.

He found himself already thinking about a possibility to protect them- there was no way to tell what the Shadows would do if they learned about the pixies' involvement in the whole matter.

A pang of guilt pierced his heart. Was he endangering the safety of the whole continent for his own revenge? He shuddered.

He'd always been a slave to his blind desire for vengeance- not once had he thought about the creatures whose well-being he risked. His whole territory depended on the fairies' strategic cool, and he had allowed himself to be ruled by heated emotions.

Now that his heart had opened up again, he suddenly saw the enormous responsibility he had. He wouldn't do anybody justice when he lost common sense. Not his people. Not Teresa. Not his family.

Teresa put her hand on his arm.

"It's okay", she whispered, "we stand behind you- he has to go. Brittle told me that he has killed at least 80 beings- he has no conscience. And his race is protecting him because they think him a valuable part of their society. That can't be accepted. Just don't do anything foolish out of anger- and we'll be fine."

He nodded and kissed her, not caring that Angus and Elisabeth looked at them, he with a deep frown edged into his face, she with a soft smile.

"Wait till I get my hands on you tonight…", he breathed against her lips, when Angus' voice thundered over his head.

"Teresa sleeps in her own room tonight- you're not officially married yet!"

Jane growled low in his throat, and Teresa just couldn't contain the chuckle.

xxMentalistxx

Galvan smiled- this was so easy, it was almost ridiculous. Pixie women were not only rather curious when confronted with the strangers they always told themselves they dreaded, but completely vulnerable to the effects of alcohol.

He'd just poured the little blonde's glass again and again, and it didn't take long until she was ready to tell the charming fairy anything.

"You pixies are the most fascinating of creatures", he drawled, trailing his fingers over her arm to make her feel the electrifying effect of his fairy dust, "So sophisticated, so …unique! Is it true that you can heal yourself if you're wounded?"

"Yess", the blonde giggled, "That's true…"

"That means you can't die! How fascinating!", Galvan exclaimed in feigned glee.

"Oh", the pixie slurred, "We can- die, I mean. We can extinguish the light of life ourselves or bleed out from the sceevula, our main artery."

Well, now she had his full attention.

"Oh my god!", he gasped, "I just hope it's not in an easily accessible area!"

"It's not", the female chuckled," it's accessible only from the armpit. Look."

She showed him the faint, short bluish line beneath her arm.

Galvan smiled devilishly. Well, that was an information he would definitely put to good use.

_Okay, let's go to the next chapter…_


	21. Chapter 21

_This chapter is M! No- not for language!_

Dust

Chapter 21

Jane felt lots better when Teresa crawled into his bed in the morning hours. He was so tired that he fell asleep immediately, but he felt much more at peace when she was in his arms.

Today was an important day, lots depended on the decision of the pixie council. But Teresa was full of trust and smiled fondly at him when Jane couldn't keep his hands still during breakfast. He hated it to wait, hated it if things were taken out of his hands.

The fairies were nervous when the pixies' council's most senior members approached to tell them their decision and say goodbye.

Angus looked at the king thoughtfully.

"A fairy my daughter trusts", he growled, "is good enough for me to trust. I don't like monsters and killers, I'm not a savage. So we decided to give you access to the Lavoulin in order to launch a successful attack on the Shadows, who hide the most dangerous killer our continent has ever seen. Get him- and", he scowled at the king, "protect my daughter! Or I'll hunt you down and cut out your heart!"

Jane smiled softly and nodded.

"Understood", he said, "I would do the same."

Elisabeth took a tearful goodbye from her beloved princess, Teresa hardly able to free herself from her mother's hug.

Angus placed a firm hand on Jane's shoulder.

"Legalize the bond", he snarled, "she can never choose another mate. If you change your mind, she has nothing."

"Fairies don't 'change their minds'", the king answered, "but I will make her my queen- I promise."

Rigsby was more than relieved to see his king up and alive some hours later- and he was grateful that he wasn't forced to spend another night in almost complete darkness.

"I won't complain, though", the giant told Teresa while he carried her on his shoulder, "I know- the Shadow's darkness will be worse."

Teresa nodded, a shudder running down her spine.

Shadowlands' artificial darkness covered the capital like a black cloak, and she had no idea what it would feel like to walk in those streets. Would she be able to see, or would night vision fail her? Well, she would find out.

Van Pelt was glad to see them, too.

"Didn't doubt your success, though", she growled, "bunch of little pixies- piece of cake."

Teresa chuckled and was secretly grateful that Jane hadn't taken van Pelt- somehow she had the feeling her father wouldn't have appreciated it.

The ships were prepared for departure, and only two hours later, when dusk started to graze the sky, the three ships took off into the wide Lavoulin.

"Like a fucking ocean", van Pelt muttered.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa stood at the porthole of the king's cabin and looked out into the darkness.

Jane came up behind her, engulfing her small body in his embrace.

"What's bothering you?", he asked softly.

"I just want to get it done", she sighed, "I've been so tired those last days…"

"Are you okay, Teresa?", he asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Yes, I am", she chuckled, "don't worry. Pixies never get sick. I'm just full of dread. It's my first war, you know?"

"Yes", he whispered, pushing her hair away to kiss her neck, "and I'm so sorry that I'm putting you through this."

"Don't be", she breathed, "I want to assist you in wiping him from this earth. I hope our timing is alright. We can kill the Shadows only at the hour of the glitter- later, we can just stun them."

"That could be enough to get to the castle and abduct the prince."

"I hope so", she murmured.

Jane opened the sash of her robe, letting the garment slide from her shoulders. She shivered when she felt his naked body against her skin, his firm erection nudging her back.

"That won't work", she chuckled.

"Meh", he said, "it will, with a little trick."

He kicked the low chest that stood next to the bed through the room until it was placed directly under the porthole and moved back behind his giggling lover.

"You're incorrigible", she breathed.

"I'm just horny like hell", he moaned softly, letting his tongue wander along the shell of her ear.

Teresa smiled and stepped onto the chest.

"Perfect", he said when he noticed that she had the perfect height now.

He spread her legs with hot, eager hands and tightened his hold on her. His mouth was directly next to her ear, and she heard his breathing accelerate.

"Are you ready for me?" he growled, and she nodded, incapable of speech for all the feelings coursing through her body.

He used his hand to guide himself home, and Teresa gasped when he pushed inside her. No matter how often he'd do this- she would never get used to the feeling. Every time he made her his the sensations were earth-shattering, unique, so consuming she could hardly comprehend them. She felt his cock surging deeper, heard his breathing harsh and fast, gushing against her neck in excited, shallow puffs, and she spread her legs wider for his intrusion. He bent her slightly with his upper body, and she pushed her outstretched arms against the porthole. He entered her deeper, driving into her tight body to the hilt, both cried out when he reached her innermost depths, her sheath clutching him like a hot glove, stretching to accommodate his size.

"Teresa", he groaned desperately, "my queen."

He thrust into her with blunt force, long, deep strokes that claimed all of her, his hard cock burning inside her, making her nerve-endings tingle and dance. Her moans grew louder and louder, he was panting with lust, his breath hitching with every new thrust, hot ecstasy spreading all over her insides while he pounded into her, faster and faster, rapidly losing control, his soft sounds urgent now, oblivious with hunger for more, for her, his hips pumping, sending his shaft back and forth over dilated, hyper-sensitive tissue.

"Harder", she groaned, and he complied, clutching her waist to keep her in place, hammering into her until she almost blacked out, her knees buckling, coming so hard all air was knocked from her lungs. His arms pressed her against him while he slammed in and out of her, prolonging her orgasm until it was sheer agony. She screamed when the hot jet of his semen hit her convulsing womb, and his desperate groans in her ear while he spend inside her were so erotic that her eyes rolled back into her head, and the waves of passion began anew.

xxMentalistxx

Cho sat on deck, reading a book, while van Pelt studied her maps right next to him.

Both looked up when Teresa's scream echoed all over the ship.

A moment of thoughtful silence ensued.

"I guess we'll know pretty soon if pixies and fairies can breed", Cho said calmly.

"Oh yes, we will- you can bet your fucking wings on it", van Pelt chuckled.

_Okay…next chapter up tomorrow, and the battle draws near- and what the hell is Galvan up to? You'll find out! Please- give me a review, would you? They always make me happy when the sky is grey…._


	22. Chapter 22

_Three chapters today, and I will post two chapters a day afterwards…the installments are fairly short, so I think that's justified._

Dust

Chapter 22

When the sun came up next morning, the darkness became noticeable. It wafted upwards from the ground in large fumes, drowning the light of the starting day. It was getting cold, summer extinct in this country of the dark.

Teresa hugged herself and looked at the horizon. They were going into a solid wall of blackness.

She almost expected to choke when they entered the gloomy haze. But she felt nothing, it was just- dark. Her night vision kicked in immediately, and she felt relieved. Without her ability to see in the darkness, she wouldn't be able to assist van Pelt in getting Red John.

The king had spent half the night inspecting the cage his engineers had built for the serial killer: walls perfused by water, so he wouldn't be able to break through. But he wouldn't be awake anyway- they were planning to keep him stunned until they arrived at Faringol. A part of him just wanted to kill the monster as soon as he got hold of him- but he couldn't do that to Teresa. He knew that she wouldn't want him to become a murderer, and he couldn't hurt her any more than he already had. He'd never thought his future would become important again. But it was.

He went on deck and looked into the inky darkness. The fairy dust induced a soft light, but the blackness around them was so profound that it seemed to swallow them up completely. But he saw Teresa's small frame on the edge of a larger group of fairies, watching the endless nothing surrounding them.

He walked over to her and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned, and he saw the faint glow of her night vision in her eyes. His Teresa. So beautiful, and so damn brave. He took her hand and put distance between them and the others, not wanting anybody to overhear their conversation.

"Hey", he said softly, his love so hot it was hard to speak sometimes, "how are you feeling?"

She shrugged softly.

"Okay, I guess. Please, just promise me that you won't do anything foolish. We'll get him. But you are the king, Patrick Jane. Your people look up to you. Think about all the little fairy children who love you so much. Please."

He sighed.

"I know", he said, nodding slowly, "and I promise it– to you. Because I love you. And as much as I want this bastard to die from my own hands as soon as possible- my love for you is stronger."

Teresa smiled and went on tiptoe to kiss him. He still had to assist her and did so gladly, bowing down with a gentle smile of his own.

"Battle is near, Teresa", he whispered against her lips, "and before it starts, I want us to legalize our bond. Van Pelt, as hard as it is to believe, has the right to perform the ceremony- so please- do you want to marry me and become my queen?"

She pulled back and looked at him, dumbfounded.

"Do you mean that?", she asked softly, "For if you don't, Patrick Jane, I'm gonna…"

"Yes, yes, yes", he chuckled, putting a finger against her lips to interrupt her, "I mean it. Let's do it right now."

They changed their vows half an hour later, dressed in their unremarkable everyday clothes, the battle closing in on them from all sides, but their hearts full of the real thing- and this was just enough.

Van Pelt was visibly touched when she declared Jane and Teresa husband and wife, trying hard not to mix any four-letter-words into her speech and almost succeeding.

Even Cho, who was best man for Jane, wore a faint smile on his features. Rigsby, who functioned as the ceremony's witness for Teresa, smiled at them benevolently, silently vowing that he would be as loyal to his queen as he was to his king. And he would accompany them to protect his master- no matter how bad the darkness would become.

And it became bad.

Jane was sorry that he couldn't give Teresa a proper wedding night, all senses were focused on the impending actions, but he promised her to make up for it as soon as possible.

Teresa didn't mind. She was nervous and anxious, and sometimes she felt almost nauseous with excitement. She knew that they approached the Shadows' city, could see the faint outline of it at the horizon due to her night vision.

She swallowed. Soon.

xxMentalistxx

The trolls got into battle formation the next morning, ready to attack at noon.

Teresa could hear Pyrus giving his pep-talk on the deck of the "Stargazer".

"He's my best man", van Pelt said next to her, "He'll do the fucking job."

"As will we", Teresa said.

"You bet", van Pelt answered, smirking. She was cool and composed. This was her game, and damn -she knew how to play it.

The Shadows awaited them at the point closest to their city, so many rows of soldiers, and Teresa felt a short pang of fear- she fought it down.

"Listen, Jane", van Pelt growled, "when the shit hits the fan, make sure to keep your shapely fairy-butt out of the troll's way, are we clear about that?"

"She is right, your highness", Cho said quietly, "you can't participate in the battle. I don't need to remind you what happens to your people if you don't survive this."

"What do you mean- I'm supposed to watch?", Jane exclaimed, exasperated.

"Yes", Cho nodded, "that's what I'm telling you."

"Come on, Cho", the king said, "you know fairies can't be killed that easily."

"I know", the dark-haired advisor answered, "but in your case, I won't take any risks. You stay on the ship- and Rigsby will protect you." The giant stood close to the ship, submerged into the river until mid-thigh, and nodded- only Teresa could see the movement, but it calmed her mind. At least the king would be safe. The councilors moved to shield the king from view, making sure nobody could get to him. The protective shield of fairy dust, hardly breakable from the outside, surrounded the "Sunburst" like a shimmering sheet, large enough to cover Rigsby.

"So it begins", van Pelt whispered, nodding at Pyrus who watched her from the deck of the "Stargazer".

She looked on the chronometer she was carrying- the hour of the glitter had begun.

And on her sign, the trolls stormed from the ships with a deafening battle cry.

xxMentalistxx

Van Pelt and Teresa managed to leave the ship and sneak into the city, armed with vicious-looking machetes. Teresa was hit by a sword, but could heal the wound immediately, killing her attacker with a single strike of her weapon.

She and van Pelt kept to the edges of the fight, trying not to arouse attention, staying in hiding as long as possible. When they finally entered the city, Teresa gasped a breath of relief.

Lots of watchmen were placed everywhere, but Shadows were a strange people: as long as they didn't notice aggression, they tended to ignore intruders, and they did so with the tiny pixie and its troll friend.

" Let's assume they are prepared to protect their miserable prince", van Pelt growled low under her breath, "I could kill them all…"

"The moment you kill one of them", Teresa answered quietly ,"they know we're up to no good and attack us. So keep your fingers still, will you?"

"Damn, it's no fun working with you at all", the redhead snarled, but Teresa could sense her smile. Somehow she was glad that the troll wasn't the least bit afraid, it gave her enormous courage.

The castle was situated on the outer edge of the city, farthest from the river, but van Pelt was almost as fast as she was, and they reached their destination in no time. The battle was roaring in their backs, and Teresa just hated to leave the king.

She startled every time they encountered a Shadow in the pitch-black streets, but the creepy, pale creatures walked on, ignoring the strangers completely.

"They won't acknowledge us before we have the prince", van Pelt said, "then they'll know we mean business."

Teresa felt the weight of her gun in her pocket- at least she would be able to stun the prince, maybe before he could make a sound. But they would hardly be able to leave the castle with the prince on their shoulders without drawing attention.

Suddenly the task seemed too huge to master, she felt slightly dizzy, her breathing accelerating considerably. Van Pelt noticed and put a hand on her arm.

"Hey", she said, "get a grip, pixie, okay? We go in there, find the bastard with the plan your watcher drew for us, stun him, I wrap him around my shoulders, we head out, killing as many of those bastards as we can while we're at it. Piece of cake. Unless you go all hysterical on me, that is. So who's my strong, brave, cool pixie?"

Teresa couldn't help it- she smiled.

"Let's go", the commander said, "before our time is up. When the hour of the glitter is over, we can't kill any Shadows, just stun them with our guns. And that's not half as good for me…."

It was almost impossible to get into the castle, though. The watchmen were alert, edgy, and it became clear pretty fast that they wouldn't march through the front door.

So they decided to climb the stony walls after some seconds of contemplation. Pixies were lithe and perfect climbers, trolls skilled and physically strong. They managed with the assistance of some twines of wild ivy that grew close to the outer walls.

"Okay", van Pelt whispered when they landed on the other side, "now Brittle's plan. You have to read it, pixie."

Teresa studied the plan, and knew where they would find their nemesis only minutes later.


	23. Chapter 23

_Please forgive me any mistakes I might have made in the next chapters…battle scenes are entirely new territory for me, so any logical missteps- please be kind! Thanks for your reviews- you're terrific, always!_

Dust

Chapter 23

The Shadows were in the majority. Their fighting skills were far beneath those of the trolls, but the fairies' troops were pretty busy to control the battle due to the sheer amount of enemies.

The sounds were deafening, a storm of roars and screams, the air glowing an angry red from all the fires the fairies had started to provide some light for the trolls.

When the first Shadows managed to enter the "Sunburst" through the protective shield of fairy dust, the fairies went to the weapons.

Cho tried to urge the king to take shelter in his cabin, but it was too late. The advisor was attacked by an opponent almost immediately, and the king pulled his sword, severing the Shadow's head with a single blow.

Both fairies were covered in blood only minutes later, having killed several of the scary, ghastly creatures with calm efficiency.

Rigsby was trying to clean the ship from the enemies, but it wasn't easy for him to differentiate between the good and the bad ones in the gloomy darkness. Before he finally managed, a snarling Shadow attacked the king and managed to inflict an ugly wound upon his chest. Jane cried out, and Cho managed to take the next blow to his upper arm, preventing his king from getting immobilized by the next hit. If he couldn't fight back any longer, the enemy would grab him and stab his heart seven times.

Some fairies were already dead, their blood flowing into the dark wood of the "Sunbursts" deck.

Cho couldn't risk Jane's life. He pushed his king, gasping from the pain and clutching his bleeding chest, closer to Rigsby.

The giant had finally managed to clean the ship from the presence of the Shadows, and the fairies rebuilt the protective shield with an enormous cloud of dust-which was an exhausting procedure. But it would give them some time until the attackers would crack the hull again, time they needed to tend to their wounds.

He raced to the king.

Jane bled heavily and had gone pale, but he wouldn't die. He was in considerable pain, though, and unable to fight. That made him an easy target for the deadly seven stabs from a Shadow's knife- he would hardly have been able to defend himself.

"All the fairies have to concentrate on the protective shield", Cho cried out, shouting over the roar of the battle, "that's your only task at the moment!"

Bullets hit the layer of dust, weakening its structure, but the fairies powered it up by adding more and more dust, fighting until they couldn't any longer due to exhaustion, other fairies taking over for them.

Cho tried to stop the bleeding from the king's wound, not wanting him to get any weaker. If he lost too much blood he would fall unconscious until his body had healed. He would be far more difficult to protect that way, and the healing process could take some time.

Damn, he just hoped the trolls would be able to decide the fight soon.

xxMentalistxx

Van Pelt followed Teresa through the dark hallways of the Shadowking's castle. They came closer to their destination, and Teresa's heart hammered against her ribcage.

"Listen, pixie", van Pelt whispered, "when we enter the prince's quarters, you have to take out everyone in the room alone - I can't see in this damn darkness. Give clean shots as fast as possible. When your gun is empty, I'm right behind you to hand you mine. Okay? Let's get the suckers. Now!"

Teresa could see the scene clearly in front of her.

Two watchmen, standing in front of a huge door. Two shots to take them out, the silencer swallowing most of the sound, just tiny popping noises remaining.

Teresa opened the door, gun poised before her, ready to find innumerable people with the prince- and froze for a moment when she found only a single creature, sitting in an armchair next to the window, smiling at her.

"I awaited you", the prince spoke, his voice high and slightly shrill, making the hairs on Teresa's neck stand on end, "and decided to do so alone. I'm almost disappointed that the fairies' king didn't come for me himself, but I'm not surprised. Love makes weak fools out of many creatures. Thankfully, my race has never had feelings as futile as this one."

He got up, Teresa's gun following him. She felt van Pelt's poised body against her back before she lost contact - no time to think about it, though.

"I'm amazed that you made it this far.", Red John continued, "My father would never have thought that possible, I'm afraid. He's attending the battle right now, leaving me here in safety. But I knew I wouldn't make it past this night. We Shadows have a strong sense of foreboding. And I always thought it ridiculous to resist one's fate. I had fun. And now it's over. I can well accept that. I won't accompany you, though. I can't give Jane the satisfaction of my execution- I was never comfortable at the center of attention, I'm afraid."

Suddenly, all hell broke loose, another Shadow with a raised machete came up behind the prince, and Teresa knew she wouldn't get a clean shot before he managed to decapitate the murdering maniac. Suddenly a faint popping noise could be heard, and the machete clattered on the floor. Teresa didn't think and aimed at the prince's head, taking him out with one bullet. She stood there, panting, watching the two unconscious figures on the floor in front of her, before she turned her head and looked at van Pelt.

"Damn", the redhead said, deadly calm, not a single hair out of place, "I'm getting used to this fucking darkness."

xxMentalistxx

The troll commander slung the unconscious prince around her shoulders like a shawl- his weight didn't seem to register at all.

"Let's go", she growled, "no idea how we're supposed to get out. But since the fucking bastard was alone, we might stand a chance if nobody sees us leave. So- we're officially in hiding from now on, pixie."

They sneaked through the hallways, taking cover whenever they meet someone. They had to stun two watchmen at the entrance who noticed them before they could leave the castle, but managed to do so before they could alert other Shadows.

Finally they stood next to the front gate, hiding behind a pile of barrels.

"Okay", van Pelt growled, still showing no sign of strain from Red John's weight, "now the tricky part. Take your gun and hit the bell directly over the castle's main entrance! Damn, I hope that works, or we have a serious problem."

Teresa aimed and hit the bell with the first shot, the ringing loud and sonorous, engulfing the yard in its mighty vibrations.

The gate opened and the watchmen stormed inside, heading for the castle without turning once.

"Yep, as I guessed", van Pelt growled, "certainly not the sharpest knives in the drawer, our ugly friends."

She raced to the front gate, keeping to the outer edges of the yard as good as possible, Teresa following on her heels. They managed to get out before the watchmen returned, Teresa's skin was crawling with excitement, they were so close, they just had to succeed.

They fled into the dark city when Red John started to stir. Teresa stunned him swiftly.

"You know what that means", van Pelt pressed out between gritted teeth.

Teresa nodded.

"The guy we left in the castle is possibly waking up, too."

_Next chapter up in a minute, Review, please!_


	24. Chapter 24

_You're still with me? So glad you're reading this!_

Dust

Chapter 24

The protective shield was about to break again, and the fairies were exhausted- so much that most of them couldn't will their wings into appearance anymore.

The king was barely conscious now, his shallow breath hardly discernible, his hot blood gushing between Cho's hands. His face was contorted with pain, and Cho was really worried for him. Damn, he had to stop the bleeding! Rigsby held the king in his palm, spending precious body warmth, trying everything to keep him conscious.

"Rigsby", Cho shouted, "I'll get the king into his cabin. I know you hate the dark, but you have to walk to the city and get Teresa and van Pelt out of there as fast as possible! The Shadows are weak, they can hardly harm you, their bullets don't penetrate your skin, and there aren't enough of them left to do serious damage. So please- try to find them!"

Rigsby thought for a moment.

"The queen's eyes glow in the dark, don't they?", he asked softly.

Cho nodded.

"I will find them", the giant said firmly, "just take good care of the king. If he dies, I'm going with him."

"He won't die", Cho murmured, "not as long as we can prevent the Shadows from getting to him."

Rigsby put Jane down with the utmost care and broke free of the glittering shield, heading into the direction of Shadowlands' capital.

xxMentalistxx

"I hope we have ample ammunition", van Pelt snarled, pulling her gun, "we're gonna need it."

Teresa felt her heartbeat fast and thunderous in every cell, they were so close to the city's edge, they had to make it. She stunned two attacking Shadows, who approached them with a vicious roar. More followed, but the pixie and the troll were both excellent shots, and van Pelt had gotten used to the blackness- she aimed almost as good as Teresa.

But there were more and more of them, and finally, no bullet came when Teresa tried to stun another one. She gasped, freezing in shock, when suddenly the growling enemy was flung aside as if he was a grain of dust. Several others shared his fate.

"Need assistance, ladies?", Rigsby asked and extended his palm, already plucking the unconscious prince from van Pelt's shoulders.

xxMentalistxx

Rigsby was surprised how good he could see- he could easily differentiate between friend and enemy now, and the Shadows couldn't do much against him. Knifes as tiny as theirs couldn't harm a giant, and he decided to participate in the battle as soon as they were back at the ship. Maybe he could finish the fight more or less. Obviously, no Shadow had counted on the giants' involvement in the battle: their weapons were generally inept for killing his race. Rigsby cast them aside like insects.

When they approached the ship, Teresa froze in surprise. The deafening roar had stopped, it was almost quiet now. The fighting had ceased. Only from the ship thunderous battle cries could be heard. The trolls.

"Victory", van Pelt chuckled, "I know why I keep the stupid morons. Pyrus is in for a treat tonight…"

All Shadows had dropped their weapons, silence stretched over the field. When they approached the "Stardust", they saw why: Pyrus, his bulging muscles glistening with sweat, surrounded by the most dangerous of his soldiers, easily held a Shadow hostage in front of him.

"I guess", Teresa whispered, "that this is their king."

And he seemed to be as much of a lifeline for his people as Jane was for the fairies.

xxMentalistxx

Cho dealt with the Shadows' council and dictated the terms for their capitulation. The Shadowking would be released as soon as the ships would leave the Shadowlands- Red John was officially extradited and would be executed in Faringol. His father hardly reacted to the news that he would lose his son, love being an alien concept for him- he'd protected him out of principle and had lost. No way to dodge the inevitable. Teresa shuddered from watching so much coldness.

The dark-haired fairy signed the declaration…his hands and clothes still spattered with the king's blood.

The Shadows retreated some yards, watching the ships prepare for departure, armed trolls posted at the rails. Red John and the king were immediately escorted to the cell specifically designed to hold a Shadow.

Teresa came out of her poised trance, shivering from the adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

"Where's the king?", she asked Cho, "Whose blood do you have on you?"

He didn't need to answer. She saw the truth in his eyes.

xxMentalistxx

Jane could hardly think through the murderous pain. The wound was huge, his body couldn't stop the bleeding, and he was already beginning to faint. Agony throbbed through his body in waves, and he bit his lip to keep from crying out. Was the battle still raging? He didn't know. He had to stay conscious, or he would be out for a long time- for weeks maybe. He couldn't have that.

He sensed somebody entering the cabin but couldn't open his eyes. A soft hand touched his forehead- Teresa! She was safe- he felt tears of gratitude at the back of his eyes and whimpered when he lost the contact. Come back, he thought, come back and guide me through this fog of pain…

Teresa felt tears running down her cheeks, his agony her own again.

Cho looked at her thoughtfully.

"He can't lose consciousness", the cardinal advisor said softly, "or he will be out until his body can heal the injuries. Given the magnitude of the damage, this can take a while."

Teresa nodded, her hand stroking the king's clammy face gently.

"Hand me a knife", she said, looking at the angry, bleeding wound on Jane's chest. His clothes were drenched with blood.

Cho frowned, but did as she'd told him, trusting his queen with his life.

Teresa took the knife and cut into her arm, dark red drops of blood breaking free, staining her pale skin. She didn't flinch, her face calm and serene.

She moved her arm over the king's wound, her blood dropping into the crimson gash. There was a soft sizzling sensation, and the bleeding stopped immediately, the cut already closing.

Cho stared open-mouthed.

"What was that?", he asked when the king's flesh was healed completely, his skin golden and unblemished again. His eyes were still closed, but his breathing went much calmer immediately.

"Pixie blood can heal wounds", Teresa whispered, "please, don't tell anyone. The pixies would be hunted down if it became vastly known."

"I won't tell.", Cho said softly.

The king opened his eyes and gasped when his gaze fell on his queen- he pulled her into his arms, heart heavy to the point of crying.

"God, you're back", he murmured against her hair, "I could hardly breathe while you were gone."

Teresa wanted to say something, but her tongue felt numb and alien inside her mouth, dizziness spreading through her system. The king's voice hardly registered in her mind any longer, the world blurring at its edges. She heard her name spoken as if from a great distance. Her eyes fluttered shut, and suddenly, everything went black.

_More tomorrow! Please, tell me what you think…_


	25. Chapter 25

_Thank you so much for your reviews- two chapters today, and tomorrow the story will be finished. I just hope the finale is good…_

_Special Thanks to Donnamur1969, who pointed me to the new season 4-trailer on Youtube- I watched this so often this morning, I can't believe it. But it's always good to see that there will be in fact a fourth season…22 days. I try to be patient._

_Oh, yes: this chapter is M._

Dust

Chapter 25

When Teresa woke up, the king was gone.

She lay in his bed, and the sky outside the porthole was still black. But wait- there were stars embedded in the darkness, and a half moon looked down on her. They had left Shadow territory. She moved to get up, but every limb seemed to weigh a ton, and she simply couldn't lift a hand.

So she just lay there, feeling a faint nausea coursing through her body while the last of the adrenaline left her system. She shivered, following the tremors like little waves lapping at her numb nerve endings.

She hoped the Shadow king was gone. And she hoped Red John would be gone soon, too. His presence on the ship was like a coat of malice covering everything in the darkness he brought with him wherever he was going, his flawed mind like a flurry of insects crawling into every crevice. She shuddered.

She wished she didn't have to see him again. Ever.

xxMentalistxx

Jane stared at Red John with a feeling of hatred and disgust so deep he felt like throwing up. The killer started to come awake, and the king felt his fists clenching helplessly.

Teresa, he thought, think about Teresa. You can't kill him. But he will die.

The murderer opened his eyes and watched Jane. He looked- unremarkable. His eyes were very small, glittering with evil from within. His features were flat, his skin ghastly pale. His hair unruly, black. He looked like every other Shadow walking the face of the continent.

Red John got up, an ugly smirk on his lips, and the king felt Cho inching closer, trying to protect him from his nemesis.

Jane looked at his family's killer through a small window inside the transparent walls of his prison, perfused by the perpetual stream of water that would keep the darn sadist from breaking free.

"Patrick Jane, Faebar's beloved king", Red John snickered, "I must tell you that your late wife…"

"Stun him!", Jane interrupted briskly, and Cho followed orders swiftly and efficiently.

xxMentalistxx

When Teresa awoke again from a dreamless slumber, she felt the king's arms all around her.

"Jane?", she whispered, her voice still sluggish and awkward, "My lord?"

"Call me Patrick, woman", he growled into her ear, but she could feel the tenderness inside his voice, his large hands wandering over her skin, "and cut the 'my lord'-stuff…you're my wife, remember? I don't expect formalities from you, trust me."

Teresa smiled, turning in his arms so she was facing him, able to look into his eyes. She felt the unmistakable signs of his arousal against her abdomen and a pang of bliss jolting through her body.

"Old habits die hard, you know?", she chuckled.

"Oh yes", he quipped, "and those habits are SO old, huh? Try, though- I'm having a hard time banging somebody's brains out who keeps 'your highnessing' me all the time."

Teresa grinned at him and shivered when he covered her body with his. His kiss was so soft, thorough, got deeper every second, until he was plundering her mouth with his tongue, and she knew how much he'd feared for her life while she'd been gone.

"Are you ready for me?", he whispered against her lips, his breathing already strained with arousal, "You looked pretty pale when you blacked out on me this afternoon."

"Oh, I'm so ready for you, your….Patrick."

"That's my girl", he chuckled and continued his exploration of her warm, sexy mouth.

His hands spread her legs, probing for her wetness when she wrapped them around his waist. She was so hot and soft, drenched with the juices of her desire. He gasped when her hands found his erection, squeezing the shaft between her fingers, reveling in its uncompromising hardness. She guided him to her opening, and he felt tears prickling in his eyes. Damn, if he'd lost her…

He couldn't do tender tonight and hoped she would understand without him giving an elaborate speech.

He thrust into her with one powerful stroke, and she cried out in his arms, bucking against his hips. The sheer contact with her skin had his whole body aflame in seconds, and he started to take her, thrusts getting deeper, deeper, the base of his shaft rubbing against her clit every time he moved. His grunts were loud and urgent in her ear, she felt him rapidly lose control, and it shattered her own defenses. He extricated himself from her embrace and pushed up on his arms, his thrusts getting faster and deliciously deeper while he looked into her eyes, unfocused and glassy with ecstasy, and he knew she was oh so close now.

She grabbed his butt, feeling the tensing of his muscles with every hard stroke he gave, and came undone beneath him, the tremors of a mind-blowing orgasm starting in her toes, searing her whole system in large, crashing waves. She screamed, her body moving up into a perfect arch, hips pressing against his to receive his relentless pounding, reverberating through her core like an endless echo. She came more, and more, tensing, convulsing all around him, felt his pumping cock so deep inside her, filling every modicum of space, owning her, his rhythm was infallible, demanding her full attention, pushing her into one earth-shattering orgasm after the other.

He could taste his own release sweet and desirable on his tongue, and went at her even harder, using all his strength to give her the thorough fucking she deserved, her hands on his clenching tush urging him on. His groans got louder, louder, his voice hoarser when he felt his climax drawing closer, so close he could almost touch it, so close she brought him over the edge with a distinctive squeeze on his buttocks. He bucked against her and cried out when he gushed her core with his hot, milky cum, releasing himself into her in huge reams of balmy liquid, gasping with every new outburst that shot his seed into her. He almost collapsed when he was finished, still feeling the aftershocks of her orgasm vibrating around his semi-hard manhood.

He used his elbows to carry the brunt of his weight, not wanting his beloved queen to get crushed beneath him.

His lips kissed her ear, her neck, her cheeks wet with tears of lust, his breathing harsh and labored.

He lay down next to her after long minutes of exquisite tenderness and pulled her into his arms.

"Sleep", he whispered, "it will be a while until the sun comes up, and you need to rest."

She nodded and fell asleep almost immediately, his strong heartbeat loud beneath her ear.

xxMentalistxx

When they reached the point where the Lavoulin met the Eprano, Teresa, on deck like she was most of the time, recognized a tiny figure clad entirely in green waiting at the shore. She jumped down over the rail, almost giving Jane a heart attack before he briskly ordered the ships to berth.

"Father!", Teresa exclaimed and flew into the pixie king's arms.

He hugged her tightly, holding her for quite a while, hardly noticing Jane landing close by, his wings evaporating into golden mist.

"Teresa", Angus' said softly when she finally broke free from his embrace, "I had to make sure you're safe. But you look…a little bit pale, my dear."

Teresa nodded weakly.

"Yes", she said, "we have some tough days behind us. But everything is fine now…we caught the killer. He will be brought to justice. But yes, I feel…strained."

A deep smile spread on her father's features.

"You'll be better, soon, I'm sure."

"Father", Teresa said slowly, "I'm married now."

Angus nodded to Jane, who stood silently next to his wife, and extended his hand to the fairy. Jane accepted it and shook it amicably.

"So she's your queen now", Angus muttered, "I appreciate that. And her mother will, too. Who knows…maybe I'll have to visit this damn Moloch of Faringol pretty soon."

Teresa grinned, and even Jane could hardly contain his smile.

"I'll tell your mother you're fine, my child", Angus said, hugging her once again, "Go deal with Red John, fast."

"We will.", Jane said firmly and picked Teresa up, wrapping her tightly in his arms while his wings appeared. He took off, flew up to the rail and put her down carefully on the deck.

They waved for quite some time. Until Angus Lisbon had become a tiny, jumping green point at the horizon.

_Next chapter up right now!_


	26. Chapter 26

_Okay, here's the second chapter for today:_

Dust

Chapter 26

Fatalities had been few, but they were mourned deeply, the king attending the funerals of the fairies and trolls who had given their life for his cause in person. Teresa was at his side the whole time, but she felt overwhelmed and oh so tired.

Their marriage took a back seat against dealing with the aftermath of war, and Teresa, exhausted from the efforts of catching Red John, accepted it without a hint of disappointment.

Jane was busy attending the trial, which was short, fortunately: Red John gave an elaborate confession immediately, describing every crime he'd committed in grisly detail, leaving the king almost mad with anger and despair. He often spend the nights in his quarters, brooding about the facts he'd learned in court, mourning his family, staring at their portraits with tears in his eyes, lost in bittersweet memories.

Only Gandoli was allowed to enter the king's rooms to attend to his personal needs.

Teresa allowed Jane to take his time, though she missed him dearly. But she'd always known that the trial would be hard on him, so his almost complete reclusion didn't come as a surprise.

The people turned to her for advice and guidance now that she was officially their queen, and she tried her best to meet their demands, grateful that Cho was at her side most of the time, assisting her as good as he could while Jane hid inside his private rooms, living only for his family.

Late at night, Teresa often soaked in a hot tub, trying to relax her tired body. Longing for her king to touch her, her soul crying out for him. It was very unlike her to be so soft and dependent, but the battle had truly wreaked havoc on her nerves. She just hoped everything would turn back to normal when the killer of the king's family was gone.

The council sentenced Red John to death eventually after listening to his crimes for hour after hour. His execution would take place at the hour of the glitter next day.

Teresa got the news at her desk while she wrote official letters, exhaling a deep breath when she learned about the verdict, mixed feelings bubbling up inside her. She knew, as the queen she had to attend, but she would hate to watch the execution. Her heart felt vulnerable and somehow hurt, and she had a hard time fighting the urge to cry all the time.

Cho placed a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"The king begs you to understand that he must face this alone", he whispered softly, "but if you wish, I'd be honored to be at your side while you attend the procedure. It will be a public event and it is…gruesome, I'm afraid. Maybe you'll need the support."

She looked thoughtfully at him.

"No", she answered eventually, "I want you to stay as close to the king as possible. I will manage on my own, don't worry. Nobody will look my way, so I'll just blend into the crowd and hope it'll be over soon. Please- don't worry about me."

Cho nodded and squeezed her shoulder gently before lifting his hand.

"Tell me if you need anything", he said, bowing before he turned and left the room.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa donned a gown for the king and smiled humorlessly at the thought that he wouldn't even notice it. The dress was a pale green, long and flowing, leaving her slim shoulders bare.

She wore her long dark hair open. She just hoped she looked okay, acceptable for a queen.

But she'd been right: the marketplace was buzzing with life, the sounds deafening, and nobody looked her way.

A stage had been erected in the center of the market, and here the execution should take place. Teresa saw the king, bent with utter grief, and her hands itched to touch him. She fought her tears down. She just hoped he would come along when the killer was dead, she didn't know what she would do if he decided to pull away from her completely. But she would be patient. She was strong. She could deal with this.

The king gave a speech, his warm voice hoarse, almost breaking. She could sense his pain in every word, his soul was with his family, all his love for them at the moment. Teresa accepted it without flinching, doing her duty like a proper queen should.

xxMentalistxx

Jane felt a pain that was beyond agony. His mind searched for his deceased family and couldn't find them anywhere, memories everything he could turn to now. It hurt so much to finally let them go. He talked to the fairies, announcing a victory he didn't truly feel. There was just pain, a soul-eating suffering bubbling to the surface after all those years he had struggled to keep it hidden. He tried to stay upright. The monster would die.

That was all the relief there could be found for Patrick Jane, all there was to live for at this very moment.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa kept to the edge of the crowd, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to turn away and run. But she kept her regal posture, fighting to stay strong.

The murderer was led onto the stage, the executioner close behind him, carrying a sparkling machete.

Teresa closed her eyes, her lips trembling, blackness closing in on her. She felt the wind ruffling her hair and couldn't comprehend for a moment that the world didn't stop turning.

xxMentalistxx

Jane felt his own frantic breathing, searing his lungs, while the judge read the sentence for the crowd.

The king's eyes were focused on Red John, who wasn't looking at him, but smiled at the gathered people instead.

Jane's fists were clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood. He didn't even notice, his senses lost to the world. He saw Angela before his mind's eye, laughing before she kissed him. Charlotte, her golden hair flying while she raced into his arms, giggling all the time. Angela's soft lips on his. Charlotte's tiny hands clutching his shirt when she fell asleep against his chest at night.

So much tears gathering in his throat he almost choked on them.

The judge stepped back and nodded softly to the king, waiting for his sign.

Everything happened in slow motion, he felt as if his limbs were surrounded by a sticky substance, preventing him from moving. The crowd was completely silent when the clock stroke noon, the hour of the glitter.

And Jane lifted his hand and gave the sign.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa felt queasy, her stomach heaving slightly when she noticed a strange smell all around her, a faint, medicinal stench, heightening the budding nausea inside her.

She felt how a piece of cloth was pressed to her mouth and nose, felt like suffocating for a moment, struggling to pull free, before everything went black all around her, darkness engulfing her like the opaque depths of a gloomy, bottomless lake.

_I know, mean cliffhanger again- and this time, it's bad. Conclusion tomorrow!_

_Please, review- I'm glad you liked this so far. But it's always encouraging to hear if I have done a good job._


	27. Chapter 27

_Last two chapters and the epilogue up now…thanks for sticking with this story which was so completely different, I'm glad so many liked it. Thanks for your encouragement!_

Dust

Chapter 27

Teresa woke up to more nausea and the sensation of a painful strain in her arms. She found that they were stretched out above her head, chained to the ceiling.

She froze in horror, feeling vulnerable and exposed. Being tied up this way, the one point where a blow could kill her was virtually on display. She tried to scream, but a gag swallowed every sound.

Galvan looked at her, smiling cruelly.

"Well, well, your highness", he said sweetly, sharpening a long, slim knife on a stone while he spoke, "how generous of you to honor me with your consciousness for the final act. I guess I'll take my time playing with you, though. We had hardly enough time to talk during our short acquaintance, don't you think? Too bad the king is about to lose another queen…but he hasn't noticed you much lately anyway, has he? So maybe he won't miss you this bad after all."

He grinned when he saw the unmistakable hurt in Teresa's eyes. She steeled her gaze and swore to give him nothing…nothing to feed his evil soul.

"You look beautiful today, my dear", Galvan went on, "there you are, looking like a real girl for the first time, and the king hasn't looked at you once. How sad, huh? But be assured: I noticed you, my lady. You've got my full attention."

He came closer and put the knife against her throat, slowly dragging the blade across her skin, opening a gash that started to bleed copiously. The pain was excruciating, but Teresa fought to stay conscious, her remarkable blood already working to heal the damage.

Galvan chuckled.

"So fascinating, you pixies", he whispered, "maybe I should fill your blood into bottles after killing you. Would make me a fortune."

And when he trailed the throbbing sceevula in her armpit with the tip of his knife, not breaking the skin yet, she realized that he knew exactly what he had to do to kill her.

She would die today.

xxMentalistxx

The king felt the waves of relief when Red John died at his feet, then the short pang of disappointment when the empty spot in his heart just remained where it had been before, the longing for his family still a throbbing pain in his soul. He swallowed the feeling for the time being. Red John was gone, he wouldn't kill anymore. For the moment, this had to be enough.

The councilors shook his hand, and Jane felt like coming awake from a long slumber full of heartbreak and nightmares. His skin prickled, shedding the numbness that had coated it for the past days, and suddenly he noticed the wounds in his palms. Cho handed him a handkerchief to wipe the dry blood away, he accepted it with a nod.

There was a quiet gathering in the throne room, the most important fairies attending, and Jane made rounds and talked to them when suddenly his heart clenched painfully with a realization. Teresa. Where was she?

He hadn't talked to her for some days, wrapped up in his grief, lost in his own world, and his soul cried out for her now. She hadn't been herself since they'd come out of battle. It would have been his duty to be there for her. But he had been selfish and reclusive, shutting her out. He wouldn't continue a second longer.

"Cho!", he called to his friend, "Where is the queen? Please, find her and bring her here, will you? I need her with me now. Please, hurry!"

Cho bowed and raced to get Teresa.

xxMentalistxx

Jane knew something was direly wrong when Cho stormed into the room about an hour later, servants following on his heels.

"My lord!", he exclaimed, "The queen is nowhere to be found! We searched everywhere, we've been in any room of the castle, looked into every corner, I even sent messengers to Faringol, but she isn't anywhere. We don't know what to do…she's missing."

Jane's insides felt as if they were seared by acid. The world seemed to blur all around him, voices shouting at him, slobbering their spittle everywhere, spattering his clothes: you have pushed her away, and now she's GONE!

His heartbeat accelerated so much it felt as if it would explode in his chest, he couldn't gulp air into his lungs.

"We have to find her", he whispered, tears streaming down his face, "search again! She can't be just gone, for god's sake! Multiply the forces! Get the trolls in on this! We MUST find her!"

xxMentalistxx

The whole town seemed to be searching for its queen. The castle was turned upside down, Jane himself opening every door, looking into every room.

He met with Cho and van Pelt in the yard finally, shivering all over. He felt like losing his mind. There still was no sign of her, his Teresa, his salvation, the sole cause for his living now. It was pretty obvious that she had fallen victim to a crime. His tongue felt so heavy that he could hardly talk.

Cho looked at him with utter concern in his eyes- the king was close to going insane. He had seen him like this once, and the consequences had been horrible. If they couldn't find the queen…

"Isn't your stupid dust able to find her, dammit?", van Pelt snarled.

Cho shook his head.

"Fairy dust seeks out fairy blood", he said softly, "the queen is a pixie, so the dust can't follow her."

The troll commander watched the advisor's face going thoughtful.

"Unless…", Cho grew silent.

"Unless WHAT?", van Pelt asked after some seconds, and Cho felt the king's intent gaze on him.

"Tell us, Cho!", Jane demanded, "Please- tell us, no matter how small our chance is- I'm ready to risk, to try EVERYTHING to find her!"

Cho looked at him.

"The dust can't find her, your highness", he said slowly, "but- it could find your unborn child."

The king stiffened.

"This is impossible, Cho", he said, shaking his head softly, "We probably can't breed at all, and there has been no sign…"

"Her nausea", van Pelt interrupted, "her pallor and the damn tiredness-her spells of dizziness. She fell unconscious in your arms on the battleship."

Jane froze, eyes going wide with wonder.

The redhead scowled at him.

"Come on, try your fucking dust, you moron!", she growled.

Jane closed his eyes, taking a shuddering breath, and willed his dust to lead the way.

Guide me, his mind commanded, find blood from my blood, flesh from my flesh.

And he, Cho and van Pelt watched in awe when the yellow dust from the king's fingers formed, outlining a trail in front of them, firm and unwavering.


	28. Chapter 28

Dust

Chapter 28

Teresa's arms grew numb.

Galvan cut her again and again, and the pain was so sharp, so unbearable, that she just wanted to die. But her body wouldn't let her. It healed the stabs and gashes every time, she felt the sizzling sensation of her blood closing the multiple wounds with swift efficiency, unable to stop it. She just hoped he would sever the sceevula fast, so she could bleed out and fade into nothingness.

She wished Galvan had been right…maybe Jane already regretted his decision to marry her, maybe he wouldn't miss her all that much. Maybe he would be a better king now that his family's murderer was gone, maybe he could allow the good memories to surface eventually, finding some kind of peace. Maybe she was in the way.

Her mind calmed her- she simply couldn't bear the thought that her death could harm him any more than he already was. Her king was strong, he would survive.

"Well, my queen", Galvan drawled, "I tire of playing, to be honest. Maybe we should end this now, huh? I'll make sure the king will find your corpse. And don't worry- if he's grieving because of your demise, I'll be there to console him."

He raised the knife and came closer, closer, and Teresa closed her eyes in defeat.

When she almost felt the touch of the blade the door flew open with a deafening crash, and Cho was on Galvan in an instant.

Van Pelt lifted her sword and severed the chains binding Teresa's hands so they fell into her lap, Jane removed the gag and pulled her into his arms with an earth-shattering sob.

Teresa felt like blacking out, the chains were pulled from her hands, her consciousness fading in and out, the king's arms were all around her, and she held on to the sensation, reveling in his closeness, trying to open her eyes, to say something, but everything was a blur, and she just couldn't form words. Her blood was rushing through her veins, the sound ear-splitting, and she just sank into Jane's embrace, the blackness pulling her deeper and deeper until all sight and hearing was lost to her.

xxMentalistxx

"She's passed out", van Pelt rasped, "I get the healer!"

She stormed outside while Jane held Teresa close, wetting her skin with his hot tears. He could feel her heart beating, strong and firm- she hadn't left him.

Cho handed the scowling Galvan over to the watchmen, not wanting the king to see him now. He had to care for his queen, and didn't need any distractions.

The ground vibrated beneath them, and Cho knew van Pelt had sent Rigsby. Sure enough, the giant squatted down and looked through the door of the tiny hut at the outer limits of Faringol- the place where Galvan had brought his intended victim.

Cho shuddered- they would never have found Teresa if the king's dust hadn't showed them the way.

"Rigsby", he said, "get the royal couple back to the castle, fast."

The giant nodded and extended his hand. The king climbed onto his palm, carrying his unconscious lover in his arms, sobs wrecking his body. He had come so close to losing her again- he couldn't comprehend the fact that she was still with him.

He buried his face against her neck and allowed Rigsby to carry them home.

xxMentalistxx

"You won't be surprised that I actually can't do much for her, my lord", the fairy healer said, "but she seems fine to me- her heart beats strong, and her wounds have healed completely. I guess she'll be fine after a decent amount of sleep- she has been through a lot. And due to the nausea, she probably hasn't eaten much during the last weeks. She lost some weight, you know."

Jane looked at his sweet little woman, lying in his bed, looking so soft and tiny and fragile. He hadn't noticed that she'd lost weight. He hadn't noticed that she'd felt dizzy or nauseous, hadn't even seen her pallor. Which was not a surprise: he hadn't seen HER.

"What I can say definitely, your highness", the healer continued, "is that your child is in excellent health. It's only part fairy, but I can assure you that it is alright. I have no idea how long the queen will carry, or which attributes the baby will inherit from you and your lovely wife, since there is no fairy-pixie-offspring to turn to for comparison- so I'm afraid, we'll have to wait and see. This is new territory entirely."

Jane still couldn't believe it. His child. He felt ashamed when he thought about how poorly he had treated her. His responsibility belonged to her and their baby as much as it belonged to his deceased family. And he had neglected her to make room for his grief. Leaving her on her own, which had made her an easy target for Galvan, the miserable traitor.

Jane was full of hatred when he thought about the late councilor now. He had trusted him, and Galvan had betrayed him bitterly, using his thirst for revenge to reach his selfish goals, ready to take the most precious thing he owned from him: his queen.

He thanked the healer and sat down next to Teresa, lifting her hand to his face to kiss it thoroughly. It was so good to feel the warmth of her body, feel her heartbeat in her soft flesh, and he let the fairy dust graze her skin, letting the slight prickle tell her that he was close.

xxMentalistxx

Teresa looked out into the wakening morning, heard the birds sing the first tunes of a new day.

She felt the gloriously naked king coming up behind her, taking her into his arms.

She grinned.

"I told you it's not working this way.", she said, rubbing her lower back against his growing erection. He groaned deep in his throat.

"I don't know if we should do that", he whispered, "what about the baby?"

Teresa touched the tiny, hardly discernible bump on her lower abdomen through the thin fabric of her robe. She still couldn't believe it was there.

"The baby is fine", she chuckled, "and pixies carry six months. You're seriously prepared to let me go untouched for six months?"

"Damn", he groaned, "fairies carry nine months. I'd never make it this long."

She turned in his arms.

"Then don't,", she breathed, "touch me, Patrick. I need it."

She had already convinced him when she touched his hard-on deftly with her soft hands. Jane moaned and opened the sash on her robe, undressing her quickly, tossing the offending garment on the ground.

He extricated himself from her embrace and sat down on the velvet upholstery of the couch.

"Straddle my lap", he said softly, "this way you can make the decision how deep I shall go."

She went over to him, driving him nuts with the slight sway she did with her deliciously tiny hips, and sat down in his lap, framing his thighs with hers.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him, her lips sweet and groping, searching every little crevice of his mouth with her tongue, taking her time to explore everything. His hands slid over her silky back, savoring the smooth texture with every fiber, not wanting to go without this feeling for a second.

He jerked violently when she impaled herself on him with one swift movement, his cock driving home to the hilt, filling her completely. He cried out, his head falling back.

"Damn, woman", he growled through gritted teeth, "I told you to be careful with the depth, for god's sake!"

"That's not what you told me", Teresa chuckled, "You said I can decide how deep you will go. And this", she wriggled her bottom to show him how unbelievably deep he truly was, eliciting another groan from him-" is exactly how deep I want you."

"You wait", he snarled, grabbing her hips, "I'll show you deep."

He held her in place and thrust into her, deep and fast, bathing in her hot, desperate cries, feeling her senses ignite full force with every stroke he gave her. Teresa felt that he held back, scared to hurt her when he'd allow his control to slip, and she just couldn't have that.

She bent her lithe body backwards and reached around her to thoroughly massage his perineum with her fingers. Jane's whole body bucked, and his eyes rolled back into his head. His grip tightened on her waist, and predictably he picked up speed, heightening the impact, pounding into her full force now. Her orgasm exploded through her in a ball of fire, taking her entirely by surprise, her slick sheath convulsing around his thrusting cock, driving him mad with ecstasy. He prolonged her sensation by bringing his hand down between her legs, rubbing her tiny little bud until she screamed with pleasure, her tight walls contracting again and again.

He breathed deeply and closed his eyes to concentrate, but when she pressed down on his perineum some more he knew he couldn't stop the sensations coursing through his body. He came like a volcano, his semen bursting out of him in a giant eruption, his screams reverberating from the walls, mingling with her groans of pleasure.

He came more and more, filling her narrow core with his cum, until he couldn't see straight with the force of his orgasm.

His eyes were wet when he opened them, staring at her with utter adoration.

"You can go six to nine months without that, my love?", she whispered hoarsely.

He shook his head.

"No way", he croaked.


	29. Epilogue

Dust

Epilogue

About four months later, a sizeable crowd had gathered in front of the castle. The people were waiting patiently, occasional shouts of joy and delighted cheering the only sounds that could be heard.

Roaring jubilation broke out when the king stepped onto his balcony, his newborn son in his arms. Cho, his new chief advisor, was close behind him, smiling for a change, and accompanied by the proud grandparents, Angus and Elizabeth.

"I still don't understand how in hell you KNEW that you had to come exactly now", Jane said to Angus with a frown on his face.

"I knew it the moment I saw her after your battle with the Shadows", Angus said, smiling smugly, "and she told me she felt 'strained'? She's a pixie, the epitome of strength and health. Only one time in the life of a pixie girl when she's not on top of her game."

He looked at his tiny grandson fondly. The infant was sleeping peacefully in his father's arms.

"As to the six months", Elisabeth smiled, "look at her hips, my lord. She can't carry a baby for nine months- it would get much too big."

Jane looked at his son. His mother-in-law was right- he was smaller than fairy babies. But he was healthy and so beautiful the king's eyes were brimmed with tears whenever his gaze fell on his precious baby. He would protect him with all his might.

He waved to the cheering crowd again before he went back inside, carefully handing the little boy back to his mother.

The king framed his queen's face with both hands and kissed her soft lips, hoping she knew how damn proud he was on her. She had been so brave, so strong. He was full of admiration for her and indefinitely grateful that she was at his side. He would love her forever, as he would their children.

Teresa looked at her baby-son. He was perfect. And she had seen his wings, as had the king, flashing up in the moment of his birth, only to disappear until his little mind would will them into appearance again. They were green.

"What's his name?", Elisabeth said softly.

"Milaro", Teresa answered, looking at the king, putting all her love for him into her gaze, "it means 'against all odds'."

The End

_Okay, I know, the end was super-sappy…I couldn't help it. I hope you liked it, nonetheless! Please tell me what you think about this story now you know every chapter! I'd so LOVE to know!_


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